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A 


RAMA  AND  HOMER 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

A    POPULAR    LIFE    OF  BUDDHA. 

Containing    an    Answer    to  the    Hibbert 

Lectures  of  1881.     With    5  Illustrations. 
Crown  8vo,,  cloth,  6s. 

BUDDHISM  IN  CHRISTENDOM  ;  or, 

Jesus    the    Essene.       With    Illustrations. 
Demy  8vo.,  cloth,  15s. 

INDIA  IN  PRIMITIVE  CHRIST- 
IANITY. An  Account  of  the  Influence 
of  Buddhism  upon  Christianity  and  of  the 
Similarities  in  the  Two  ReUgions.  With 
30  Plates.     Demy  8vo.,  cloth,  15s. 


KEGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TRUBNER  &  CO., 
LIMITED 


3  3  a  a  9 

oo»  o        osas 
a  9  0  «  „  a 


rAma  and  homer 


AN  ARGUMENT  THAT  IN  THE  INDIAN 

EPICS  HOMER  FOUND  THE  THEME 

OF  HIS  TWO  GREAT  POEMS 


BY 

ARTHUR  LILLIE 

(Late  Regiment  of  Lucknow) 

AUTHOR    OF 
BUDDHISM    IN    CHRISTENDOM,"    "  BUDDHA   AND    BUDDHISM,"     "  INDIA    IN 
PRIMITIVE   CHRISTIANITY,"    ETC. 


LONDON 
KEGANPAUL,TRENCH,TRUBNER&CO.,LTD. 

BROADWAY  HOUSE,  68-74,  CARTER  LANE,  E.G. 
1912 


fcAS*NWRY  MORSE  STEFHEHS 


PREFACE 

Seeing  a  posthumous  book  through  the 
press  is  a  task  not  to  be  lightly  undertaken, 
and  more  especially  does  this  apply  to  a 
work  like  *' Rama  and  Homer,"  requiring  an 
expert's  knowledge,  to  which  I  certainly 
make  no  pretension.  For  the  author  it  is  a 
comparatively  easy  matter  to  lay  his  finger 
upon  a  particular  book,  a  particular  passage, 
so  well  does  he  know  his  way  about,  and 
until  the  finishing  touches  are  given  the 
merest  notes  are  all-sufficing  in  the  way  of 
references.  It  is  these  "finishing"  touches 
which  an  alien  hand  finds  so  perplexing. 

When  I  was  told  that  my  old  friend,  the 
late  Mr.  Arthur  Lillie,  had  in  his  last  brief 
illness  expressed  a  wish — a  wish  conveyed  to 
me  after  his  death  in  November,  191 1 — that 
I   should  undertake  this  task,  knowing,  as   I 


»t> 


12672 


vi  PREFACE 

well  did  from  our  many  talks,  how  near  to  his 
heart  the  subject  lay,  it  will  be  readily  under- 
stood that,  in  spite  of  these  perplexities  and 
difficulties,  any  idea  of  shirking  the  responsi- 
bility was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question. 

We  can  but  deeply  regret  that  he  who 
brought  to  his  work  the  deep  study  and 
extensive  knowledge  contained  in  "  Rama 
and  Homer"  did  not  survive  to  see  in  print 
this  last  product  of  his  life's  labour. 

One  indulgence  I  hope  I  may  beg  from 
the  reader — that  whatever  shortcomings  are 
discovered  in  this  volume,  the  blame  shall 
rest  upon  myself  and  not  upon  the  author, 
whose  previous  works  gained  him  so  high  a 
reputation. 

To  Miss  Hughes,  Secretary  of  the  Royal 
Asiatic  Society,  and  to  Dr.  Kapadia,  Lecturer 
to  the  University  of  London,  I  am  greatly 
indebted,  and  desire  here  to  express  my 
sincere  thanks  to  both  for  much  kind  assist- 
ance in  the  Oriental  spelling  and  accen- 
tuation. 

G.    KEITH    MURRAY. 

March^  191 2. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

STORY    OF    MENELADS 

The  story  of  Menelaus  and  the  story  of  Achilles  two  sepa- 
rate stories,  made  purposely  to  clash — Mr.  Wilkins' 
strange  coincidence —Three  days'  battles  purposely 
overlap — First  day's  battle — Duel  between  Paris,  the 
Ravisher,  and  Menelaus,  to  end  the  war — Simultaneous 
duel  between  Hector  and  Ajax — Menelaus  treacher- 
ously wounded — Agamemnon  in  revenge  attacks  the 
Trojans,  who  fly  before  the  Greeks — On  the  same  day 
and  at  the  same  hour  Hector  attacks  the  Greeks  and 
drives  them  to  their  ships — Menelaus  in  one  story 
wounded,  as  is  supposed,  mortally,  in  the  morning  ;  in 
the  other  story  he  proposes  to  face  and  check  Hector  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day — Second  day's  battle — 
Agamemnon  attacks  the  Trojans  at  noon,  forcing  their 
lines  at  the  Tumulus  of  Ilus — Drives  them  to  the 
Scaean  Gate — At  the  same  moment  and  hour  Hector 
drives  the  Greeks  to  their  ships  and  forces  them  to 
entrench — Story  of  Menelaus  :  close  similarity  in 
detail  to  the  story  of  Rama — Importance  of  the  arrow 
of  Philoctetes  given  by  Sophocles,  but  omitted  in 
revised  version  of  "Iliad" — Plot  of  "  Ramayana  " 
and  plot  of  "Iliad"  contrasted — Which  seems  the 
model  and  which  the  copy  ?        -  - 


CHAPTER  II 

STORY  OF    ACHILLES 

Central  idea  :  Hero  so  terrible  that  his  corselet  and  arms 

alone   can   put    to   flight   an    army  of   50,000  men — 

Attempt  to  make  Achilles  very  young— Sir  Richard 

Jebb — His  condensed  sketch  of  the  "  Iliad  " — For  nine 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 


years  not  a  siege^  but  a  blockade — Achilles  a  suitor  for 
Helen — Wild  insubordination  —  Orders  a  truce  of 
twelve  days — Convenes  a  general  assembly  of  officers 
— Threatens  to  strike  his  Commander-in-Chief — The 
truce  of  twelve  days  did  not  end  the  war — Greeks 
banded  together  by  oath  to  punish  the  ravisher  of 
Helen — Achilles  makes  no  attempt  to  do  that — Sack  of 
twelve  cities  from  ship-board,  eleven  by  land  expedi- 
tions— Was  Achilles  the  only  officer  allowed  to  go 
cruising  about  ? — The  Princess  Deidamia — Puzzle  of 
Queen  Astynome — Chryseis,  "my  beauteous  maid," 
grandmother  over  fifty  years  of  age — Puzzle  of  a  ten 
years'  war — Early  story  of  Helen  —Rape  by  Theseus — 
Capture  of  Athens  by  her  brothers — War  not  of  ten 
years,  but,  like  the  Indian  siege  of  Lanka,  a  one  year's 
campaign — Were  the  nine  extra  years  invented  for 
Achilles  ? — His  small  force  alone  fighting,  the  rest 
quite  inactive — Both  parties  breaking  their  oath— The 
"  Fall  of  Thebe  "  :  possible  early  story — The  "  Rama- 
yana  "  condensed — Strange  analogies  between  the 
partings  of  Hector  and  Andromache  and  Ravana  and 
Mandodari  -  -  -  -  -  -       IQ 


CHAPTER  HI 

THE    STORY    OF   ULYSSES 

A  separate  narrative  of  a  sun-hero  like  Rama — Opening  lines 
— Ulysses  captured  Troy — Testimony  of  Menelaus — 
Ulysses  the  greatest  "  man  of  heart  "—Achilles  not  at 
Troy  at  all — "Descent  into  hell"  written  on  purpose  to 
get  rid  of  him — "  Neoptolemus  "invented  for  the  same 
purpose — The  wooden  horse — Capture  of  the  -lEgis — 
Incidents  invented  to  give  Ulysses  the  chief  credit — 
Parallel  between  the  female  giant,  Tadaka,  and  Scylla 
— Polyphemus  and  the  one-eyed  giant,  Danu — The 
"Golden  Cavern  of  the  Five  Apsaras"  and  the  Sirens — 
Penelope,  from  one  point  of  view,  a  nearer  approach 
to  the  high  ideal  of  Sita  than  any  other  Homeric 
female,  condemned  by  the  author  of  "  Erewhon  "  — 
Preposterous  story  of  the  Suitors — Their  patience, 
their  folly — The  twelve  axes — Astounding  shot  of 
Ulysses — Their  "  helve-holes  "  not  in  a  line — Massacre 
of  loo  men  in  a  room  with  one  bow  and  about  a 
dozen  arrows — The  victims  were  armed  with  swords 
— Possible  explanation  of  these  extravagances  —  A 
known  lay,  the  "  Death  of  the  Suitors  " — May  it  not 


CONTENTS  ix 


be  a  short  condensation  of  three  events  in  Rama's 
story  jumbled  together? — Sita  tormented  by  the  Rak- 
shasas,  Sita  won  at  archery  by  the  bending  of  the 
"Bow  of  Siva,"  Rama  with  that  one  bow  routing 
Khara  and  a  vast  army  -  -  -  -  42 

CHAPTER  IV 

STORY   OF    THE    "  RAMAYANA " 

"  Ramayana  "  in  Greece — Three  distinct  traces — Homeric 
poems — Story  of  Hercules — Hesiod — City  of  Ayodhya 
and  its  King  Dasaratha  —  Prosperity  marred  by  a 
demon,  Ravana — Council  in  heaven — Only  a  man  can 
prevail  against  him — Horse  sacrifice — Birth  of  Rama — 
Education — The  Princess  Sita,  like  Helen,  born  of  the 
Supreme  God  and  a  Swan — The  "Bow  of  8iva  " — 
Rama  alone  can  bend  it — Marriage — Queen  Kaikeyi — 
Her  intrigues — Rama  banished  for  fourteen  years  to  an 
Indian  jungle — Parallels  in  life  of  Hercules — Acci- 
dental homicide  real  cause  of  Rama's  exile — Accidental 
homicide  the  cause  of  exile  of  Hercules — Noble  con- 
duct of  Sita — Rama  and  his  wife  leave  the  palace  and 
go  into  exile         -  -  -  -  -  -       53 

CHAPTER  V 

STORY  OF  RAMA  [contimicd) :  in  the  forest 

Exiles  reach  Sringavera,  near  modern  Allahabad — The 
saint  Bharadvaja — He  advises  them  to  go  to  Chitra- 
Kuta,  on  the  River  Pisuni — Sita's  fruits — Exiles  build 
a  hut  of  leaves— Two  million  pilgrims  every  year  now 
visit  this  spot —  "  Ramayana  "  much  defaced  by  clumsy 
modern  additions  of  Neo- Vishnu  sect — Death  of  King 
— Prince  Bharata  comes  with  an  army  to  instal  Rama 
— Crown  refused — Rama's  slippers  rule  in  Ayodhya — 
The  Dandaka  wood — Visit  of  Surpanakha,  Ravan's 
sister — Rama  and  Hercules  between  Right  and  Wrong, 
disguised  as  beautiful  women — The  fury  of  slighted 
Surpanakha  produces  the  great  war  of  Lanka— Her- 
cules wrecks  the  city  of  Hesione,  and  that  produces 
the  war  of  Troy —Arrival  of  Ravana,  the  "Ten- 
headed,"  in  the  Car  Pushpaka  —  Brothers  enticed 
away  by  a  gazelle — Sita  seized  and  carried  to  Lanka — 
Despair  of  brothers — Search  for  Sugriva,  King  of  the 
Monkeys,  and  Hanuman— An  alliance  formed — Hanu- 
man  reaches  the  sea — Tries  to  swim  across  10  Lanka  -       90 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   VI 

rama's  bridge 

PAGE 

Geography  and  geology  help  the  poet — Mighty  boulders 
sprinkled  all  over  India — Line  of  rocks  and  islands 
across  the  straits — "Rama's  Bridge"  (Rama  Setu)  — 
Giant  monkeys  bring  huge  rocks  and  mountains  from 
east  and  west  and  north  and  south — Nikasha  and 
Vibhishana,  the  Queen-Mother  and  Ravana's  brother, 
advise  Dasagriva  to  restore  Sita  to  Rama — Sita  in 
Lanka — Tormented  by  fiends — A  bird  and  a  monkey 
(Hanuman)  bring  her  consolation — Brahma  comes 
down  and  delivers  the  Amrita— Battles — Prpwess  of 
Indrajit— Rama  and  Lakshmana  severely  wounded — 
Sita's  lament — Rama's  lament — Hanuman  flies  to  the 
mountain  Gandha-Madana  for  simples  to  cure  Laksh- 
mana— Kills  Kala  Nemi — Brings  back  the  whole  moun- 
tain —  Death  of  Indrajit  —  Ravana's  lament  —  Great 
battle  between  Rama  and  Ravana  observed  by  the 
heavenly  host — Indra's  chariot  and  charioteer — the 
terrible  weapon  Brahmasiras — Ravana  killed — Funeral 
obsequies — Vibhishana  placed  on  the  throne — Strange 
behaviour  of  Rama — Insults  and  denounces  Sita — 
Maddened  beyond  endurance,  she  demands  a  funeral 
pile — Ordeal  by  fire — Rama  softens  too  late     -  -     124 


CHAPTER  VII 

EVIDENCE   OF   DION   CHRYSOSTOMOS 

Greek  soldiers  of  Alexander's  expedition  hear  Homer 
chanted  in  Indian  bazaars  —  Professor  Monier- 
Williams  observes  points  of  contact  between  Homer 
and  Rama's  story — Professor  Jacobi  holds  that  there 
is  only  one  point  of  contact  between  Homer  and  the 
Indian  poet :  namely,  the  bow  of  Ulysses  and  that  of 
Rama — Position  quite  upset  by  the  testimony  of  Dion 
Chrysostomos  and  the  Greek  soldiers  —  The  word 
"  Yavanas  "  —  Helen  innocent  — Antedates  ideas  of 
chastity  in  Greece — Lived  when  women  were  viewed 
as  mere  animals — Danger  to  the  Professor's  theories 
of  this  line  of  argument — Professor  Weber  holds  that 
the  "  Ramayana "  emerged  from  a  short  Buddhist 
parable,  a.d.  400 — Homeric  incidents  added  afterwards 
stolen  from  Greece — The  derived  Buddhist  parable, 


CONTENTS  x: 

PAGE 

"  Dasaratha  Jataka  " — If  written  by  Valmiki,  he  must 
have  been  a  Buddhist— His  alleged  Homeric  additions 
falsify  the  whole  of  Buddha's  teaching — Position 
rendered  untenable  by  the  works  of  the  Orientalist, 
Colebrooke — He  shows  that  the  life  of  Buddha,  the 
•'  Lalita  Vistara,"  was  plainly  derived  from  the 
"  Ramayana,"  whereas  the  Professor's  contention  re- 
verses this  ...--.     174 


CHAPTER  Vni 

THE  EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "  ZEND  AVESTA  " 

At  the  date  of  the  separation  both  branches  of  the  Aryas 
polytheists — Soma  worship  derived  from  followers  of 
Siva  as  Soma  Natha— Monotheism  and  Soma  worship 
appear  in  the  "Rig  Veda"  and  also  in  the  "Zend 
Avesta " — Dr.  Pope  maintains  that  the  religion  of 
Siva  is  the  oldest  in  India — Caves  the  earliest  dwellings 
— Durga  as  the  tree,  and  Siva  as  the  cobra,  represent 
the  main  dangers  of  the  early  jungle,  and  were  passed 
on  to  other  religions— Menhirs,  the  primitive  Lingam — 
Of  the  four  gods  still  worshipped  in  India,  three  are 
forms  of  Siva — The  "  Zend  Ayesta  "  a  bitter  attack 
on  Siva — Krishanu,  a  name  for  Siva  as  Soma  Natha — A 
second  name  for  the  "Avesta  Vendidad  "  (the  law 
against  the  Devas) — -Rites  of  the  Persian  Aryas  bor- 
rowed from  India — Kusha-grass  worship — Soma  wor- 
ship —  Professor  Max  Miiller  —  Mr.  Andrew  Lang 
combats  his  ideas  about  the  extreme  antiquity  of  the 
"Rig  Veda" — ^The  hymn  describing  the  creation — 
Three  points  of  Siva  worship  :  Monism,  the  Soma, 
Agriculture — All  three  taken  over  by  the  Indian  Aryas 
— Strong  evidence  of  the  Persian  Aryas  and  Valmiki 
in  his  great  poem  -  .  .  .  .     igo 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    EVIDENCE    FROM    GREECE 

Professor  Max  Miiller— Importance  of  the  "  Rig  Veda  "— 
All  "  indigenous  "  Indian  mythology  worthless — Two 
imaginary  packets— The  worthless  one  sent  to  Greece 
by  accident — Contents  of  this  packet — The  French 
Orientalists,  Fauche  and  Emile  Burnouf,  see  in  it  the 
originals  of  the  Homeric  poems — Hesiod's  borrowings 


xii  CONTENTS 


— Professor  Horace  Hayman  Wilson  and  Sir  William 
Jones  see  in  the  packet  all  the  minute  customs  and 
rites  that  flourished  in  Greece  and  Italy — The  Epic  of 
Nonnus  derived  from  the  "  Ramayana":  opinion  of  Sir 
W.  Jones — A  Sivan  temple  imported  bodily  at  Eleusis 
contained  the  three  great  secrets  in  Monism  symbol- 
ized by  the  Lingam  hidden  in  the  Cista,  an  early 
intoxicant,  and  the  secret  of  Agriculture — Strange 
similarity  between  the  philosophy  of  Pythagoras  and 
that  of  the  Seshvara  Sankhya  —  H.  T.  Colebrooke 
refers  to  its  philosophy  of  numbers,  and  shows  that 
the  word  "Sankhya"  means  "numerals"  —  Both 
philosophies  work  on  this  number  idea — The  "  tad  " 
is  the  original  "  one  "  of  the  earlier  Indians— ^The  ten 
Principia  of  Pythagoras — Minute  points  of  similarity 
set  forth  by  Colebrooke — The  destruction  of  all  gods, 
men,  and  worlds  at  the  end  of  each  Kalpa,  or  age 
— The  metempsychosis  as  an  enormous  punishment  of 
humanity — Rebirth  a  thousand  times  over — Annihila- 
tion the  only  release — This  idea  broached  in  India  to 
overthrow  the  pretensions  of  the  Brahmin  priesthood 
— Accepted  in  Greece  without  any  such  excuse  -     217 


CHAPTER  X 

ANIMAL      WORSHIP 

A  criticism — It  was  urged  that  Sita  could  not  have  been 
born  of  a  swan,  because  the  Vahan,  the  emblematical 
animal  of  each  god,  had  lapsed  into  mere  heraldry  at 
the  date  of  the  "  Ramayana  " — Unexpected  results 
that  have  emerged  from  this  statement — The  inner 
secret  of  the  "  Ramayana  "  exposed — Three  stages  in 
animal  worship — Stage  No.  i — The  "  Ramayana  " 
more  than  any  other  book  in  the  world  exhibits  this 
earliest  stage  —  All  the  gods  animals,  Ravana  an 
elephant — His  son,  Indrajit,  has  elephant  tusks,  and 
his  wives  moan  like  female  elephants  at  his  death — 
The  followers  of  early  Saivism  were  called  "  Nagas," 
a  word  meaning  both  elephants  and  serpents — Arrows 
of  the  Nagas  run  about  like  serpents  and  inflict  deadly 
stings — Ravana's  brother,  Kumbhakarma,  who  eats 
only  two  meals  a  year,  is  the  great  Indian  serpent  that 
takes  months  to  digest  a  buffalo  —  "Horse-head," 
"Goat-head":  the  names  of  some  of  the  female 
fiends  that  harass  Sita — They  threaten  to  carry  her 


CONTENTS  xiii 


HAGF. 

to  the  Nikum-bhila  (cemetery^),  and  eat  her  and  have 
a  dance,  plainly  a  rude  early  Sivan  orgy — All  Havana's 
followers  eat  human  flesh — The  swarms  of  vultures 
and  other  carnivorous  birds  that  collect  to  look  down 
upon  a  battle  suggest  the  gods  and  god  that  looked 
down  on  Ravana  and  Rama       .  .  .  .     232 


CHAPTER  XI 

A    PREGNANT    DISCOVERY 

Happy  thought  of  Mr.  Grant  Allen — Idea  of  the  early 
races  about  vegetable  growth — A  happy  guess  which 
explains  the  sacrifice  of  the  Corn-god  at  Easter  ;  it 
explains  the  great  mystery  of  Siva — Feast  of  the 
Potraj  in  Madras — The  Sivan  mystery  in  the  hands  of 
the  lower  Indian  races — Mangs  and  Parias — Sym- 
pathetic magic,  the  Dharna  —  Easter  mysteries  —  A 
huge  battle  with  magic  and  spells  against  an  army  of 
rival  magicians — Importance  of  the  buried  Corn-god 
— Importance  of  the  sexual  embraces — Not  an  orgy  at 
first — "  Brides  of  the  god  " — Agapetes  in  the  Agape  at 
Alexandria — In  the  feast  of  the  Potraj  an  animal  pre- 
sides— Important  dictum  of  Mr.  Frazer  in  the  "  Golden 
Bough  " — The  savage  failed  to  detect  much  difference 
between  the  man  and  the  beast  -  -  -     254 


CHAPTER  XII 

COLONEL    TOD 

Siva  as  Bala,  the  Baal  of  the  Phoenicians — Name  promi- 
nent in  many  cities  in  Madras — Bal  or  Typhon  in 
Egypt — Bel  in  Babylon — Jewish  and  Indian  worship 
of  the  god  identical — New  evidence  that  India  was 
known  to  the  old  civilizations — Use  of  teak — Muslin 
called  "  Sindhu  " — "  Apes  and  peacocks  "  of  Solomon 
— The  "Star  of  Chiun  " — Did  Valmiki  give  a  lugu- 
brious ending  to  his  story  ? — Sita's  refusal  to  fly  away 
with  Hanuman — Proof  of  the  design  of  the  poet — Bad 
endings  unpopular — M.  Schure — Parallel  between  Sita 
and  Proserpine    ------     268 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

RAMA   AND   sfXA      -  -  -  -  frontispiece 

TO    FACE    PAGE 

GREEK    GALLEY  -  -  -  -  -24 

FIGHT    FOR    THE    BODY    OF    PATROCLUS          -                  -  24 

HECTOR  S    BODY    AT    THE    CAR    OF    ACHILLES                -  24 

BOWS    AND    BOW-CASE             -                  -                  -                  -  40 

MEETING    OF    HECTOR     AND    ANDROMACHE-                   -  40 

RAMA    WITH    THE    BOW    OF    SIVA         -                   -                   "  7° 

THE    CHOULTRY    AT    RAMESURUM      -                   -                  -  I24 

"AMAZING    LEGIONS    MUSTERED    IN    THE    SKIES  "     -  I30 

HANUMAN ------  180 

THE    INDIAN    MARS                    -                   -                   -                  -  180 

RAVANA        .--,--  180 


XV 


RAMA   AND    HOMER 

CHAPTER  I 

STORY    OF    MENELAUS 

The  "  Iliad "  gives  an  account  of  three 
battles,  but  there  is  a  strange  fact  which 
Mr.  Wilkins  has  lately  pointed  out  very 
distinctly.  Hour  for  hour  two  distinct 
campaigns  are  being  carried  on/  With 
one — which  I  will  call  the  '*  Story  of  Mene- 
laus " — the  victory,  Jove-aided,  is  with  the 
Greeks.  With  the  other — which  I  will  call 
the  ''  Story  of  Achilles  " — the  victory  for  the 
first  two  days  is  with  the  Trojans,  and  Jove 
is  a  strong  partisan  on  their  side : 

"None  stand  so  dear  to  Jove  as  sacred  Troy, 
No  mortals  merit  more  distinguished  grace 
Tiian  god-like  Priam,  or  than  Priam's  race." 

^  Wilkins,  "  Growth  of  the  Homeric  Poems,"  p.  52. 

I 


RAMA   AND  HOMER 


Jove   holds   up   golden   scales  which   always 
decide  against  the  Greeks. 

To  make  all  this  more  intelligible,  I  have 
drawn  up  what  I  call  a  "  Coincidence  Time- 
chart." 

COINCIDENCE  TIME-CHART. 


Story  of  Menelaus 
Fighting   begins  twenty- 
third  day  of  tenth  year. 

First  Day's  Battle. 

Single  combat  between 
Menelaus  and  Paris, 
arranged  to  end  the  war. 
Paris,  vanquished,  flies. 

Menelaus  treacherously 
wounded.  This  angers 
Jupiter.  The  truce  is 
broken,  and  the  Trojans 
fly  before  the  Greeks. 

"E'en  god-like  Hector  seems 
himself  to  fear, 
Slow  he  gave  way,  the  rest 
tumultuous  fled." 

At  night,  says  Pope, 
"  Jupiter  disheartens  the 
Trojans  with  thunder  and 
other  signs  of  his  wrath." 

\Five  days'  rest.] 


Story  of  Achilles. 
Fighting  begins  twenty- 
third  day  of  tenth  year. 

First  Dafs  Battle. 

Single  combat  between 
Ajax  and  Hector,  stopped 
by  heralds. 

Hector  has  driven  the 
Greeks  to  their  ships. 
Menelaus,  not  knowing 
that  he  has  been  in  any 
way  wounded,  puts  on  his 
armour  to  fight  Hector. 
The  other  chiefs  treat  him 
as  incompetent;  and  nine 
of  them  draw  lots  for  the 
venture,  Agamemnon, 
Diomedes,  Ulysses,  the 
Ajaces,  etc. 

The  Greeks  raise  up 
hasty  entrenchments  by  the 
ships. 

\Five  days''  rest.] 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  3 

Second  Day' s  Battle  {twenty-      Second  Day's  Battle  {twenty- 
ninth  day  of  the  yea?').  fiinth  day  of  the  year), 

Agamemnon  attacks  the  Hector  forces  the  Greek 

Trojans;  and  at  noon  forces  entrenchments   and    burns 

their  lines  at  the  Tumulus  some  of  the  ships.     Patro- 

of  Ilus.     He  chases  them  clus    dresses    up    in     the 

to  the  beech-tree  near  the  armour  of  Achilles  and  is 

Scsean  Gates.     This,  being  killed, 
five  miles  off,  would  require 
all  the  remaining  daylight. 

The  third  day,  the  thirtieth  day  of  the 
tenth  year,  Achilles  kills  Hector;  but  that, 
we  know,  did  not  end  the  war.  Paris,  the 
ravisher,  could  only  be  killed  by  the  arrow 
of  Philoctetes.  In  point  of  fact  he  killed 
Achilles. 

These  contradictions  have  been  ac- 
counted for  by  a  theory  of  two  wings 
being  engaged ;  but  it  is  plain  that  one 
account  has  been  purposely  plastered  over 
another. 

In  Homer  are  three  stories;  which  I  will 
call  the  ''  Story  of  Menelaus,"  the  "  Story  of 
Achilles,"  and  the  "  Story  of  Ulysses."  I 
believe  that  all  three  have  been  derived  from 
Valmiki's  ''  Ramayana." 


4  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Let  us  compare  the  **  Story  of  Menelaus  " 
with  this. 

1.  The  heroes  of  the  one  are  two  Greek 
brothers  who  are  never  separated.  The 
heroes  of  the  other  are  two  Hindu  brothers 
who  are  never  separated. 

2.  The  Greeks  have  been  banished  from 
Argos,  their  kingdom,  by  their  usurping 
uncle  Thyestes.  The  Hindus  have  been 
banished  from  their  kingdom  of  Ayodhya 
(Oude)  by  the  intrigues  of  one  of  the 
favourite  wives  of  their  father. 

3.  Jousts  are  held  in  India  for  the 
espousals  of  a  beautiful  woman.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Sita,  or  Brahmi,  Brahma's  wife  ; 
and  is  called  Sita  after  her  mother.  The 
Hindus  gave  to  each  god  an  emblematical 
animal  on  which  his  Sakti,  or  female  energy, 
was  supposed  to  ride.  Brahmi  rode  upon 
a  swan  ;  and  Sita  (lit.,  furrow)  was  the 
furrow  that  held  the  swan's  Ggg.  Sita, 
according  to  the  Indian  myth,  was  found  in 
a  furrow.  Much  the  same  thing  is  said  of 
Helen.     Mr.    Bryant   shows    that    she   also 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  5 

came  from  a  swan's  egg  left  by  her  mother, 
Leda,  the  swan.^ 

4.  At  the  "  Svayamvara,"  as  it  is  called, 
Rama  defeats  all  the  competing  princes  and 
wins  the  bride.  In  Greece,  Menelaus  defeats 
all  competing  princes  and  wins  Helen. 
Mr.  Mahaffy,  a  profound  Homeric  student, 
tells  us  that  the  jousts  described  by  Homer 
differ  completely  from  "the  Olympic  games, 
the  oldest  historical  contests  of  the  same  kind 
known  to  us  "  ('*  Problems  in  Greek  History," 
p.  46).  Helen  is  allowed  to  choose  her 
husband,  which  is  not  a  Greek  custom, 
although  it  is  an  Indian  one.  The  word 
'*  Svayamvara "  in  Sanskrit  means  ''  the 
maiden's  choice." 

5.  Whilst  the  husbands  are  absent  Paris 
comes  and  steals  away  Helen,  and  Ravana 
comes  and  steals  away  Sita.  Helen  is 
carried  away  across  the  sea  to  Troy.  Stta  is 
carried  away  across  the  sea  to  Lanka 
(Ceylon).  At  this  date  the  husbands  have 
become  paramount  Kings. 

^  There  was  a  controversy  over  the  name  of  her  birth- 
place, vTrepoiov  (Bryant,  "  Dissertation  on  the  Trojan 
War,"  pp.  10,  11). 


6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

6.  '*  Illon's  lofty  Towers "  are  on  high 
ground  dominating  a  plain.  The  city  of 
Lanka  is  on  high  ground  dominating  a 
plain. 

7.  A  lengthy  muster  roll  of  the  forces  is 
given  in  the  sixth  book  of  "  Ramayana,"  and 
Professor  Monier  Williams  has  drawn  atten- 
tion to  the  analogy  between  this  and  that  of 
the  Greek  forces  in  the  "  Iliad." 

8.  Priam  on  a  high  tower  above  the 
Sc^an  Gate  gets  Helen  to  point  out  the 
chief  Greek  captains  one  by  one.  Vibhishana 
from  a  high  hill  points  out  to  Rama  the 
principal  warriors  of  the  "Wanderers  of  the 
Night"  (the  forces  of  Ravana).  Here  we 
seem  to  get  a  derived  incident.  Surely  in 
nine  years  Priam  could  have  discovered  the 
names  of  the  Greek  heroes  without  Helen's 
help. 

9.  The  army  of  Rama,  like  all  armies  in 
Indian  records,  is  enormous  ;  and  the  Hindu 
warriors  fight  in  chariots,  probably  the 
earliest  expedient  thought  of  by  the  Aryas  to 
utilize  their  favourite  animal,  the  horse. 
The  Greek  army  is  also  enormous.     Grote 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  7 

fixes  it  at  100,000  men!  The  number  of 
ships,  1,186,  which  were  required  for  its 
carriage  is  questioned  by  Mr.  Bryant,  who 
points  out  that  when  a  really  historical  danger 
threatened  the  Greek  states,  as  at  Artemiseum, 
they  could  only  concentrate  271  ships  and 
six  or  seven  Pentecontores.^ 

10.  Mr.  Wilkins  shows  that  Achilles  fights 
on  foot,  and  so  do  Ajax  and  Hector,  and 
Hector  and  Patroclus. 

In  all  their  battles,  though  chariots  are 
sometimes  mentioned,  yet  we  nowhere  find 
any  clear  conception  of  their  use  in  the 
fight.^  This  seems  certainly  confirmed  in 
the  '*  Odyssey."  In  the  jousts  there  de- 
scribed there  are  no  chariot-races  at  all. 

Ti.  M.  Fauche  points  out  that  the  title 
'' Anax  Anacton  "  applied  to  Agamemnon  is 
used  in  the  Indian  version  to  describe 
Sugriva,  the  Indian  chief. 

12.  The  arrows  of  Hector  and  the  arrows 
of  Ravana^  come  back  to  the  hand  after  their 
flight. 

1  Bryant,  "Dissertation  on  the  Trojan  War,"  p.  18. 

2  "Growth  of  the  Homeric  Poems,"  p.  115. 
^  Or  Ravan. 


8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

13.  Achilles  with  a  mighty  shout  daunts 
the  whole  of  the  Trojan  army.  Hanuman 
with  a  mighty  shout  daunts  the  whole  of  the 
army  of  Ravana. 

14.  M.  Fauche  notifies  one  very  important 
similarity  : 

Often  showers  of  blood,  an  awful  portent, 
fall  from  the  sky  in  the  '  Ramayana.'  In  the 
'  Iliad'  on  two  occasions,  Zeus  distils  in  the 
clouds,  as  a  sinister  warning,  similar  showers. 
One  of  these  is  when  the  favourite  son  of 
Zeus,  Sarpedon,  is  about  to  die,  and  Zeus 
and  Hera  are  looking  on  unseen  : 

"  She  said  :  '  The  cloud  compeller  overcome 
Assents  to  Fate  and  ratifies  the  doom. 
Then  touched  with  grief  the  weeping  heavens  distilled 
A  shower  of  blood  on  all  the  fatal  field.' " 

The  heavens  rain  blood  in  the  ''  Ramayana  " 
when  the  portents  announce  the  coming 
death  of  Ravana,  Khara,  etc. 

15.  The  Hindu  besiegers  fare  badly  in  an 
early  fight,  and  Rama  proposes  to  bring  the 
army  back  to  India.  The  Greek  besiegers 
fare  badly  in  an  early  fight,  and  Agamemnon 
proposes  to  carry  the  army  back  to  Greece. 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  g 

1 6.  The  Rakshasas  (demons)  of  the  Indian 
epic  are  as  big  as  mountains  ;  but  Mars  when 
thrown  down  by  angry  Pallas,  who  flings  a 
rock  at  him,  covers  seven  acres  with  his 
gigantic  body. 

17.  In  India  the  gods  and  demons  gather 
round  to  watch  the  crucial  battle  between  the 
paramount  chiefs  Rama  and  Ravana.  In 
the  "Iliad"  the  opposing  gods  also  crowd 
round,  though  the  chiefs  are  not  paramount 
and  the  encounter  not  crucial  : 

''The  gazing  gods  lean  forward  from  the  sky." 

18.  In  the  "  Ramayana  "  Kuvera,  the  God 
of  Gold  and  worldly  glitter,  and  Siva,  the 
God  of  Death,  throw  dice.  In  the  "Iliad" 
Jove  suspends  golden  scales. 

19.  Importance  is  attached,  as  in  the 
"  Iliad,"  to  the  obsequies  of  the  dead  hero, 
which  the  generous  Rama  makes  splendid 
enough. 

20.  Rama  and  Menelaus  regain  and  carry 
back  their  wives. 

21.  When  Sita  has  determined  to  starve 
herself  to  death   in   Lanka,  Indra   in   person 


10  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

comes  down  and  gives  her  the  Amrita,  the 
immortal  food.  Jove,  when  Achilles  is  also 
of  the  same  determination,  sends  down 
Minerva  with  the  ambrosia. 

2  2.  There  are  very  strange  points  of 
contact  between  Vibhishana  and  Homer's 
Antenor.  Of  themselves  they  seem  almost 
enough  to  settle  the  question  of  Indian 
derivation. 

(i)  Vibhishana  is  the  wisest  denizen  in 
Lanka  Antenor  has  the  same  reputation 
in  Troy  : 

"  And  next  the  wisest  of  the  reverend  throng 
Antenor  grave,  and  sage  Eucalydon." 

(2)  When  Ravana  is  about  to  kill  the  ambas- 
sador Hanuman,  Vibhishana  remonstrates 
and  saves  his  life.  When  Menelaus  and 
Odysseus  came  into  Troy  to  treat,  they  would 
have  been  killed  but  for  the  intervention  of 
Antenor.  (3)  Vibhishana,  inspired  by  the 
Queen- Mother,  advises  •  Ravana  to  give  up 
Sita.  Antenor  advises  Paris  to  give  up 
Helen.  (4)  Antenor  plots  secretly  against 
his  own  side,  and  advises  Ulysses  to  seize 
the  Trojan  Palladium,  and  make  the  wooden 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  ii 

horse.  The  fate  of  Laiika  is  in  the  hands  of 
Vibhishana  three  times.  When  the  Monkey 
armies  and  their  chiefs  are  brought  up  by  the 
sea,  Vibhishana  shows  them  how  to  pass  it 
by  a  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  and  by  frightening 
all  the  sharks  and  sea-monsters  with  a  taste 
of  Rama's  arrows.  The  attack  on  the 
Chaitya  of  Nikumbhila  is  the  second  advan- 
tage that  they  gain  from  the  superior  local 
knowledge  of  the  giant.  And  when  Indra 
sends  down  his  special  chariot,  with  the 
celebrated  charioteer  Matali,  the  Hindu 
princes  are  afraid  of  accepting  until 
Vibishana  assures  them  that  it  is  not 
a  snare.  (5)  Vibhishana,  after  the  capture 
of  the  city,  and  the  death  of  his  brother, 
is  crowned  King  of  Lanka.  Antenor, 
according  to  Smith's  ''  Dictionary  of 
Greek  Mythology,"  *'  founded  a  new 
kingdom  of  Troy  out  of  the  ruins  of  the 
old." 

23.  The  great  rocks  thrown  about  in  the 
''  Iliad,"  as  well  as  in  the  Indian  fable,  let  in 
a  flood  of  light.  In  India  they  are  used  only 
by    the    supernatural    beings,    who     might 


12  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

perhaps  fling  about  stones  as  big  as  a  four- 
wheeled  cab.  In  the  "  Iliad,"  Hector 
smashes  down  a  huge  city  gateway, 
strengthened  with  iron  bars,  rampart  and 
all,  with  one  rock ;  and  Ajax  flings  another 
that  no  other  athlete  could  lift : 

"He  poised  and  swung  it  round;  then,  tossed  on  high 
It  flew  with  force  and  laboured  up  the  sky, 
Full  on  the  Lycian's  helmet  thundering  down, 
The  ponderous  ruin  crushed  his  battered  crown." 

But  all  these  analogies  are  nothing  to 
what  follows.  The  monster  Ravana  is  pro- 
tected by  mighty  spells.  He  cannot  be 
killed  by  a  god.  He  has  ten  heads  ;  and 
when  one  is  knocked  off  another  appears. 
He  has  only  one  vulnerable  point  in  his 
body,  the  navel  ;  and  this  can  only  be 
harmed  by  a  special  weapon,  the  Brahmasiras. 
To  meet  these  difficulties  a  special  mortal  is 
trained  from  early  youth — namely,  Rama. 
He  is  armed  for  the  encounter.  He  has  a 
magical  body-coat,  bracelets,  a  sword,  and  a 
bow  and  quiver,  all  constructed  by  Visva- 
Karma,  the  Indian  Vulcan.  He  has  lent  to 
him   for   this  special    encounter   the  famous 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  13 

chariot  of  Indra,  the  Supreme  God,  with  its 
immortal  steeds  ;  and  Matali,  the  famous 
charioteer. 

All  this  figures  in  Homer,  but  in  a  very 
topsy-turvy  manner,  owing  to  the  jumble 
between  the  two  narratives,  the  Story  of 
Menelaus  and  the  Story  of  Achilles.  The 
latter  coming  second  into  the  field  has  made 
certain  arbitrary  borrowings. 

1.  We  have  the  invulnerable  fighting  man, 
but  instead  of  its  being  the  arch  enemy  as  in 
the  Indian  story,  it  is  the  avenging  hero, 
Achilles,  whose  heel  was  dipped  in  the  Styx. 
Instead  of  his  slaughtering  that  foe,  that  foe 
slaughtered  him. 

2.  He  has  given  to  him  the  magical  body- 
coat  and  arms  fresh  from  the  anvils  of 
the  Greek  Vulcan.  He  has  a  chariot 
lent  him,  with  the  steeds  of  Jove.  He 
has  the  charioteer,  Automedon,  who  alone 
can  drive  such  steeds.  And  yet  with  all 
these  preparations  he  fails  to  slay  the  ravisher, 
or  to  take  his  city.  And  one  very  impor- 
tant gift  he  has  not  got — the  Brahmasiras 
— the     terrible     arrow     of     Philoctetes,    by 


14  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

which  alone  the  ravisher  of  Helen  can  be 
slaughtered.  What  this  really  means  will,  I 
think,  be  better  understood  if  we  turn  first  to 
a  remarkable  work,  ''  The  Rise  of  the  Greek 
Epic,"  by  Mr.  Gilbert  Murray.  He  holds 
that  the  '*  Iliad  "  was  written  a  long  time  before 
the  ''Odyssey";  and  that  both  are  by  many 
writers,  having  undergone  much  revision  and 
alteration,  in  the  struggle  of  "Hellenism" 
against  "  Paganism."  "  The  Civilizers"  have 
plainly  attempted  to  efface  such  savage  customs 
as  slavery,  subjection  of  women,  immorality, 
and  cruelty,  and  poisoned  arrows.  Hector*s 
body  was  dragged  round  Troy  whilst  he  was 
yet  alive.  Mr.  Murray  proves  this  from  the 
*'Ajax"  of  Sophocles  and  also  from  the 
''  Andromache  "  of  Euripides.  And  he  holds 
that  the  tragedies  were  written  after  the 
Homeric  poems,  but  before  the  "  Civilizers  " 
had  got  to  work.  This  suggestion  is  of 
immense  importance  to  our  inquiry,  for  the 
"  Arrow  of  Philoctetes  "  is  the  crux  of  the 
Homeric  problems.  The  story  is  told  at 
length  in  one  of  the  tragedies  of  Sophocles. 
In    obedience    to  the    Oracle,    Ulysses    and 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  15 

Diomedes  go  off  to  fetch  Phlloctetes  and  his 
bow,  as  It  is  known  that  Paris  cannot  be 
killed  with  any  other  weapon.  The  "Odyssey," 
coming  after  the  "Iliad,"  virtually  confirms  the 
story.  "  Alone  Philoctetes  in  the  Trojan  land 
surpassed  me  with  the  bow,  in  our  Achaean 
archery,"-^  says  Ulysses.  He  could  not 
have  done  this  unless  he  had  come  eventually 
to  Troy.  He  was  one  of  the  Suitors  of 
Helen  ;  and  the  Iliad  tells  us  why  he  could 
not  come  with  the  others.^ 

If  we  accept  the  story  of  Phlloctetes  as  told 
by  Sophocles  we  can  put  together  two 
pictures  which  certainly  tell  a  great  deal.  In 
the  first  the  supremacy  of  Heaven  is 
threatened  by  a  mighty  demon,  and  the  great 

^  Butcher  and  Lang,  "Odyssey"  (trans.). 

?  "  The  troops 

With  Philoctetes  sailed,  whose  matchless  art 

From  the  tough  bow  directs  the  feathered  dart : 

Seven  were  his  ships ;  each  vessel  fifty  row, 

Skilled  in  his  science  of  the  dart  and  bow. 

But  he  lay  raging  in  the  Lemnian  ground. 

A  poisonous  Hydra  gave  the  burning  wound ; 

There  groaned  the  chief  in  agonizing  pain, 

Whom  Greece  at  length  shall  wish  nor  wish  in  vain." 


i6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Destiny  (or  Daivan)  that  was  believed  to 
overrule  gods,  as  well  as  men,  has  settled 
that  only  a  man  can  conquer  the  demon 
giants,  that  are  assailing  Heaven.  In  con- 
sequence, a  young  hero  is  selected  for  the 
task  by  the  Supreme  God.  He  is  furnished 
with  three  potent  spells,  which  may  be  said 
to  constitute  only  one  spell,  as  they  have  to 
be  used  together. 

1.  The  chariot,  belonging  to  the  Supreme 
God,  has  been  lent  to  him,  as  I  have  pointed 
out. 

2.  The  celestial  horses  of  the  Supreme 
have  been  lent  to  draw  that  chariot,  together 
with  the  celestial  charioteer,  Matali. 

3.  The  terrible  missile  called  the  "  Brahma- 
s'iras,"  which  alone  can  wound  the  leader  of 
the  fiends,  is  also  lent.  It  is  only  by  these 
three  spells,  one  helping  the  other,  that  the 
terrible  demon  can  be  overcome. 

The  selected  hero  marches  across  India 
with  an  army.  His  wife  has  been  carried  off 
by  the  demon.  To  rescue  her  and  punish 
the  foul  fiend,  he  uses  the  three  potent  spells, 
and  the  demon  is  killed. 


STORY  OF  MENELAUS  17 

Let  us  place  by  the  side  of  this  the  second 
picture  : 

Olympus,  the  Heaven  of  the  Greeks,  has 
been  menaced  by  a  similar  uprising  of  hostile 
and  powerful  giants,  but  that  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  second  story.  The  battles  are 
all  over  before  that  story  begins.  A  Greek 
lady  is  carried  away  like  the  Indian  lady,  but 
by  a  fop  and  not  a  fiend.  A  young  hero  is 
selected  for  the  task  of  punishing  this 
ravisher.  He  is  furnished  with  three  potent 
spells,  which  may  be  said  really  to  constitute 
only  one  spell,  as  they  have  to  be  used 
together  to  be  efficient. 

1.  The  chariot  belonging  to  the  Supreme 
God  is  lent  for  the  occasion. 

2.  The  "deathless  horses"  are  lent  to 
draw  that  chariot,  and  a  celestial  charioteer 
who  alone  can  guide  those  horses. 

3.  A  terrible  arrow  called  the  "  Arrow  of 
Philoctetes,"  by  which,  when  shot  from  the 
special  chariot,  the  spell-protected  ravisher 
can  alone  be  slain,  must  also  have  been  an 
item  in  the  original  story. 

Now  what  occurred  ? 


i8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Two  of  these  superhuman  spells  went  with 
an  expedition  to  the  city  of  the  ravisher ; 
but  Philoctetes  and  his  arrow  could  not  be 
brought  with  them.  He  was  suffering  with 
a  wound  so  cruel  that  he  had  to  be  left 
behind.  If  we  may  believe  Homer  the  army 
were  aware  of  this  crucial  misadventure 
before  they  disembarked.^ 

Thus,  for  nine  years  and  ten  months  the 
Greeks  battled  without  any  hope  of  victory, 
for  each  well  knew  that,  without  Philoctetes, 
Paris  was  invulnerable. 

Then  the  Supreme  God  who  had  provided 
the  three  spells  for  the  victory  of  the  Greeks, 
and  the  punishment  of  the  ravisher  of  his 
daughter,  suddenly  seemed  to  forget  on  which 
side  he  was  fighting,  and  took  the  part  of 
rape  and  plunder,  with  the  strange  result  that 
his  favourite  son  was  killed  with  the  magic 
spells. 

If  we  are  asked  which  was  the  original 
sketch  of  the  story  and  which  the  copy, 
which  one  would  we  select  ? 

^  "Yet  thought  they  on  him  at  his  ship  "  (Chapman). 

"Yet  were  the  Argives  soon  to  bethink  them  beside 
their  ships  of  King  Philoctetes"  (Messrs.  Lang  and 
Leaf). 


CHAPTER    II 

THE    STORY    OP^    ACHILLES 

Workmanship  and  choosing  a  plot  are  two 
distinct  efforts.  Very  little  may  be  made  of 
an  excellent  plot,  and  much  of  a  very  bad 
one.  The  plot,  for  instance,  of  the  '*  Merchant 
of  Venice,"  with  the  impossible  decision  of 
the  Judge,  is  quite  silly,  but  from  it  has 
emerged  the  best  play,  of  the  romantic  drama 
pattern,  in  the  world.  The  reader  must  reflect 
that  if  the  plot  of  the  story  of  Achilles  is 
deficient,  the  great  success  proves  that  the 
workmanship  must  have  been  all  the  more 
extraordinary. 

What  is  the  chief  motif — the  central  idea 
formed  in  the  mind  of  the  poet — in  construct- 
ing this  story  ?  Plainly  this  :  he  was  going  to 
paint  a  hero  so  terrific  that  even  his  corslet, 
his  greaves,  his  shield  and  his  terrible  horse- 

19 


20  rAma  and  homer 

hair  crest  had  power  to  put  to  flight  an  army 
of  50,000  men.  This  fine  coup  de  thddtre 
would  of  course  be  very  much  enhanced  if 
the  operation  was  conducted  by  a  dummy  ; 
so  Patroclus  is  depicted  as  a  mere  "  squire." 
He  lights  the  fires,  roasts  the  chine,  serves 
out  the  wine,  escorts  slave  girls  from  the 
tent  of  one  chief  to  that  of  another. 

But  there  are  many  difficulties  in  the  way. 
The  formidable  Paris,  who  could  only  be 
slain  by  a  special  arrow,  had  to  be  turned 
into  a  milksop  in  order  to  make  way  for 
Hector,  expressly  created  for  the  opponent 
of  Achilles.  Menelaus  had  also  to  be  pushed 
into  the  background.  Much  else  had  to  be 
dislocated,  as  we  have  already  seen.  How 
old  was  Achilles  ?  Certainly  the  Achilles  of 
the  ''  Iliad"  is  a  stripling  who  sails  to  Troy 
as  a  mere  boy,  and,  according  to  many 
prophecies,  is  to  die  very  young ;  and  the 
Achilles  of  the  "  Odyssey  "  must  have  been 
about  fifty  years  old. 

How  can  that  be  proved.'*  In  this  way — 
his  son  Neoptolemus  was  at  least  twenty 
when  he  sailed  in  the   ship   of   Ulysses  for 


21  THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES 

Troy.  Twenty  added  to  the  ten  years  of  Troy 
warfare  makes  thirty.  Supposing  Achilles 
was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  begot  him, 
this  would  make  Achilles  forty-five. 

But  the  expedition  to  Troy  was  made  up 
of  the  unsuccessful  competitors  for  Helen  at 
the  jousts.  They  had  all  sworn  to  help  the 
successful  candidate  if  any  harm  was  done  to 
Helen.  Such  a  vast  expedition  could  not  be 
started  in  a  day.  It  consisted,  according  to 
the  calculations  of  Mr.  Bryant,  of  i,i 86  ships. 
We  learn  from  the  play,  "  Iphigenia  in 
Aulis,"  that  it  took  ten  years  to  start  it. 
Ulysses  was  one  of  these  competitors.  And  if 
Neoptolemus,  as  the  *'  Odyssey  "  affirms,  took 
his  part  in  the  earliest  battles  and  councils,  he 
could  not  have  then  been  a  mere  boy.  He 
must  have  had  an  initiation  of  several  years 
under  Ulysses.  Patroclus,  even  after  nine 
years  of  Troy  campaigning,  was  still  a 
"  squire,"  not  a  chief. 

Now  without  doubt  in  the  "  Achilleis" — that 
is,  the  story  of  the  "  Wrath  of  Achilles,"  as 
distinguished  from    the  "  I  lias,"   or  general 


22  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

account  of  the  war — there  is  a  steady  attempt 
to  make  Achilles  quite  a  young  man. 

Says  old  Phoinix  to  him  :  "  To  thee  did 
the  old  knight  Peleus  send  me  the  day  he 
sent  thee  to  Agamemnon  forth  from  Phthia,  a 
stripling  yet  unskilled  in  equal  war  and  in 
debate  wherein  men  wax  pre-eminent."^ 

And  we  learn  that  Achilles  was  younger 
than  Patroclus,  but  the  latter,  though  very 
youthful,  had  a  sort  of  roving  commission  to 
speak  '*  words  of  wisdom  "^  to  his  young 
friend. 

Then,  sad  on  the  lonely  shore,  Achilles 
thus  addresses  the  "  stormy  main"  : 

"  O  parent  goddess  !     Since  in  early  bloom 
Thy  son  must  fall,  by  too  severe  a  doom ; 
Since  to  so  short  a  race  of  glory  born, 
Great  Jove  in  justice  should  this  span  adorn,"  etc. 

Thetis  makes  the  the  same  lament  : 

"  Why  have  I  borne  thee  with  a  mother's  throes, 
To  Fates  averse,  and  nursed  for  future  woes  ? 
So  short  a  space  the  light  of  heaven  to  view  ! 
So  short  a  space  !  and  filled  with  sorrow  too  !" 


1  Lang,  Leaf,  and  Myers,  "  Iliad,"  IX.  (trans.). 

2  Ibid.,  XL 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  23 

Here  also  is  her  prayer  to  Zeus  : 

"  Fame  is  at  least  by  heavenly  promise  due 
To  life  so  short,  and  now  dishonour'd  too. 
Avenge  this  wrong,  O  ever  just  and  wise  ! 
Let  Greece  be  humbled  and  the  Trojans  rise." 

But  in  these  rejuvenating  efforts  another 
expedient  is  adopted.  Homer  tries  to  show 
indirectly  that  Achilles  was  not  one  of  the 
suitors  that  were  worsted  when  Menelaus 
won  Helen  at  the  jousts. 

I  will  borrow  from  Professor  Jebb  a  con- 
densed account  of  what  I  call  ''  The  Story  of 
Achilles  "  : 

"  For  ten  years  they  (the  Greeks)  besieged 
Troy  in  vain,  though  the  Trojans  dared  not 
come  out  and  fight  pitched  battles  ;  for  there 
was  a  hero  in  the  Greek  army  so  terrible  that 
not  even  Hector,  the  greatest  of  Trojan 
warriors,  could  stand  before  him.  This  hero 
was  Achilles  ....  but  at  last,  in  the  tenth 
year  of  the  siege,  Achilles  suffered  a  grievous 
affront  from  the  king  Agamemnon,  who 
took  away  from  him  his  prize,  the  captive 
damsel,  Briseis.  Then  Achilles  was  angry, 
and  said  that  he  would  fight  for  the  Greeks 
no  more.  .  .  .   The  first  result  of  Achilles  refus- 


24  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

ing  to  fight  was  that  the  Trojans  now  dared 
to  come  forth  and  give  battle  to  the  Greeks.^ 

"  The  Greeks,"  pursues  the  Professor, 
"are  hard  pressed.  .  .  .  Still  Achilles  will  not 
fight.  But  he  lends  his  armour  to  Patroclus," 
and  the  death  of  this  warrior  rouses  him  to 
revenge  at  last, 

"  He  rushes  to  the  field,  drives  the  Trojans 
within  their  walls,  and  slays  Hector,  the  last 
hope  of  Troy.  .  .  .  The  '  Iliad'  ends  with 
King  Priam  coming  to  ask  the  body  of  his 
slain  son  from  Achilles." 

There  are  three  days'  battles  recorded  in 
Homer :  but  if  this  account  of  Professor 
J  ebb  be  correct,  for  the  first  nine  and  a  half 
years  of  the  war  there  was  no  Seige  of  Troy, 
but,  to  use  military  language,  only  a  blockade  ; 
a  blockade  by  one  man,  the  terrible  Achilles. 

But  if  there  was  no  fighting  done  by  the 
banded  suitors  of  Helen,  how  did  Achilles 
become  so  terrible  ? 

Says  Professor  Jebb  : 

"  Helen  had  been  wooed  by  many  suitors, 
and  her  father  Tyndareus  had  bound  them 
^  Jebb,  "Greek  Literature,"  p.  21. 


CREEK  GALLEY.    (p    7) 


BAVANA  (/>.  103 


FICHT    FOR    THE    BODY    OF   PATROCLU3.  ( />.  24) 


,  >  '  '  J   >    i  , ' 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  25 

all  by  an  oath  to  join  in  avenging  that  man 
whom  she  should  marry,  if  she  were  taken 
from  him  by  force." 

Now  the  catalogue  of  the  ships  in  the 
"  Iliad  "  places  Achilles,  in  its  records,  as  one 
of  these  suitors.  And  this  catalogue  belongs 
to  the  earliest  part  of  the  "  Iliad  " — that 
which  we  call  the  Story  of  Menelaus.  He  is 
said,  moreover,  to  have  sailed  with  Agamem- 
non. His  ships  were  brought  up  with  the 
others  for  the  long  stay  at  Aulis ;  and  his 
name  was  there  used  to  induce  the  mother  of 
poor  Iphigenia  to  send  her  daughter  up  to  be 
sacrificed  to  obtain  a  favourable  wind.  She 
arrived  to  be,  as  she  thought,  the  bride  of 
Achilles. 

Professors  are  naturally  more  at  home 
with  the  arts  of  peace  than  the  arts  of 
slaughter,  but  anyone  who  has  seen  real  war 
could  have  told  Professor  Jebb  that  the 
Achilles  of  Homer,  if  he  was  a  suitor — that 
is,asubordinateofficer  of  King  Agamemnon — 
would  have  disorganized  any  army  in  a 
month.     Take  his  proclamation  of  a  truce  of 


26  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

twelve  days,  and  see  how  it  would  work. 
Let  us  suppose  that  a  body  of  light  troops 
belonging  to  the  Greek  army  was  con- 
fronted with  a  body  of  light  troops  of 
the  enemy  near  the  Trimulus  of  Ilus.  The 
Greek  commander,  say,  advances  and  shouts 
out :  "  Ho  there !  Achilles  has  ordered  a 
twelve  days'  truce."  The  Trojan  commander 
would  certainly  say  to  himself,  "  Achilles  !  A 
paltry  captain !  This  must  be  treachery !" 
And  he  would  probably  let  fly  a  shower  of 
arrows  at  the  conciliatino-  Greek.  Similar 
bewilderment  would  be  in  the  minds  of  the 
Greeks  when  they  were  informed  ;  and  for  a 
long  time  neither  side  would  know  whether 
it  was  peace  or  war.  With  Agamemnon  the 
case  would  be  much  more  serious.  If  he 
supported  Achilles  he  would  confess  himself 
superseded  in  the  command  ever  afterwards. 
Plainly,  he  would  have  to  string  up  that 
turbulent  officer  to  a  bough,  say,  of  the  beech 
tree  at  the  Scaean  gate.  What  force  could 
take  the  field  if  every  swashbuckler  attached 
to  it  thought  he  had  the  right  to  "  convene  " 
a    general    assembly,    and     heap     ferocious 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  27 

epithets  upon  his  Commander-in-Chief  every 
time  a  fortune-teller  told  him  a  yarn  ?  And 
how  could  he  "convene  "  his  meeting,  if  the 
heralds  and  staff  obeyed  that  Commander-in- 
Chief  alone  ?  Even  early  Greek  discipline 
would  teach  that  to  raise  your  hand  against 
your  Commander,  and  dictate  to  him  what 
camp  followers  he  may  punish  and  what  he 
must  let  alone,  is  scarcely  orthodox  soldiery. 
The  fate  of  Thersites,  and  of  Ulysses  when 
he  shammed  madness  and  began  to  plough 
the  seashore,  show  plainly  enough  that  the 
Greek  Commanders  were  not  so  very  fore- 
bearing.  And  even  the  blustering  words 
of  Achilles  were  not  authenticated  by 
deeds.  He  gave  up  Briseis  to  Agamemnon. 
Other  parts  of  Professor  Jebb's  analysis 
seem  to  fade  away. 

1.  There  are  three  days'  battles  recorded 
in  Homer,  and  the  "  terrible  Achilles  "  never 
drew  his  sword  before  Troy  at  all,  until  the 
thirtieth  day  of  the  tenth  year,  the  day  of  the 
third  of  the  three  battles. 

2.  In  the  earliest  version  of  the  ''  Iliad,"  the 
Story  of  Menelaus,  the  two  first  battles  went 


28  rAma  and  homer 

completely   to    the  Greeks,  the  Trojans    on 
each  occasion  being  driven  to  the  city  gates. 

3.  The  truce  of  twelve  days,  if  it  existed, 
certainly  did  not  end  the  war.  The  Greeks, 
by  oath,  were  banded  together  to  punish  the 
ravisher  of  Helen.  No  attempt  was  made 
by  Achilles  to  do  that.  Instead,  Paris  killed 
him. 

4.  Hector  is  a  dummy.  He  is  ignored 
even  in  the  ''Odyssey." 

5.  Professor  Gilbert  Murray  points  out 
that  in  an  earlier  account  of  Troy,  the 
"  Cypria,"  Calchas  figures  already ;  and  is 
mixed  up  in  a  more  woeful  tragedy. 

It  is  a  strange  fact  that  in  the  Homeric 
poems,  poor  Iphigenia,  and  all  the  characters 
of  the  most  pathetic  story  of  early  Greece, 
are  present  on  the  stage  ;  but  the  catastrophe, 
her  death,  has  been  sponged  completely  out 
to  give  place  to  a  blustering  swashbuckler. 
We  have  Iphigenia,  Agamemnon,  Clytem- 
nestra,  Orestes,  Diana,  Achilles  the  lover, 
and  Calchas  at  Aulis  outpouring  Diana's 
anger. 

Mr.   Bryant,  in  his  "  Dissertation  on  the 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  29 

Trojan  War,"  remarks  that  it  is  a  very  odd 
thing  that  Achilles  alone  would  seem  to  have 
moved  about  during  the  whole  ten  years'  war. 
The  other  forces,  winter  as  well  as  summer, 
seemed  glued  to  the  spot,  with  no  communi- 
cation at  all  from  the  outside  world. 
Agamemnon  confesses  that  "the  timber  of 
the  ships  was  quite  decayed  and  the  rigging 
quite  loose."  There  is  no  mention  of 
recruits,  repairs,  revictualment.  Phthia  is 
only  three  days'  sail  from  Troy,  and  yet 
Achilles  does  not  know  whether  his  father  is 
alive  or  dead. 

"  For  I  should  think,  that  my  father  Peleus 
is  either  absolutely  dead,  or  barely  alive  :  and 
under  the  last  afflictions  of  old  age."^ 

But  this  suggests  an  important  question. 
Why  was  Achilles  the  only  chief  allowed  to 
go  cruising  about  ?  He  sacks  twelve  cities 
from  shipboard  and  eleven  by  land  expeditions 
—Lesbos,  Tenedos,  Lyrnissos,  Scyros, 
Thebe,  are  mentioned.  It  was  intended 
indirectly  to  show  that  Achilles  at  Troy  was 

1  Bryant,  "  Dissertation  of  the  Trojan  War,"  p.  28. 


30  rAma  and  homer 

on  a  different  footing  from  that  of  the  other 
chieftains,  who  were  bound  by  a  solemn  oath 
by  Menelaus  to  remain  fighting  until  Troy 
fell. 

But  does  all  this  really  prove  Achilles  to 
have  been  a  very  young  man  ? 

Take  Scyros.  If  Achilles  really  sacked 
that  city  and  made  the  mother  of  Neopto- 
lemus,  the  Princess  Deidameia,  pregnant  he 
must  have  made  his  expedition  there  several 
years  before  Helen's  rape.  Otherwise  his 
son  Neoptolemus  could  only  have  been  a  boy 
of  eight  or  nine  years  old  when  he  lectured 
the  generals  in  camp  upon  the  art  of  war. 
Certainly  it  would  throw  back  the  sea  and 
land  expeditions  of  Achilles  indefinitely. 
For  instance,  at  Thebe,  he  killed  King  Eetion 
and  his  seven  sons,  and  he  captured  Queen 
Astynome,  the  King's  wife,  who  figured 
afterwards  as  Chryseis.  But  according  to 
this  date  he  must  have  done  this  some 
fifteen  odd  years  before  the  rape  of  Helen. 

Queen  Astynome  is  a  puzzle.  She  was  a 
grandmother  when  the  fuss  was  made  about 
her.     She  was  a  buxom  widow,  the  mother 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  31 

of  seven  sons  and  one  daughter,  when  first 
carried  off  by  Achilles.  That  daughter  must 
have  been  already  married  to  Hector  and 
lodged  in  Troy  before  the  Greeks  arrived 
and  blockaded  the  city.  That  would  make 
her  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
her  mother  certainly  over  fifty.  But  the 
language  of  some  of  the  characters  who 
figured  in  the  turbulent  scene  when  the 
"  Iliad  "  opens,  shows  that  quite  a  different 
view  of  Queen  Astynome  also  prevailed. 
Says  Agamemnon  : 

"  Because  my  prize,  my  beauteous  maid,  I  hold, 
And  heavenly  charms  prefer  to  proffer'd  gold. 
A  maid,  unmatch'd  in  manners  as  in  face, 
Skill'd  in  each  art,  and  crown'd  with  every  grace ; 
Not  half  so  dear  were  Clytaemnestra's  charms, 
When  first  her  blooming  beauties  bless'd  my  arms." 

Now  this  is  certainly  not  the  language  of 
a  sedate  chief  talking  about  a  lady,  a 
grandmother,  of  fifty  years  of  age.  And  the 
inspired  priest  Calchas,  who  knew  all  the 
objective  details  of  the  case,  could  scarcely 
have  called  Astynome  the  "  black-eyed 
maid,"  and  said  that  it  was  Agamemnon  who 


32  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"  provoked  the  raging  pest,"  if  the  presence 
of  the  lady  was  due  to  the  siege  of  Thebe. 

And  what  about  the  desolate  picture  of  the 
snivelling  priest  Chryses,  wandering  "  by  the 
sounding  main,"  and  crying :  "  Oh,  give 
Chryseis  to  these  arms  again  "?^ 

It  is  plain  that  the  fiction  of  a  ten  years' 
war,  if  not  invented  for  Achilles,  has  been 
specially  utilized  in  his  favour.  The  con- 
tradictions that  emerge  from  the  two  conflict- 
ing narratives  are  pushed  up  to  a  pinnacle  of 
unreason  at  this  point.  According  to  Grote, 
the  Greek  army  mounted  to  100,000  men. 
Those  of  Achilles  are  roughly  computed  at 
2,750  men,  as  we  have  seen.     And  yet  we 

1  Messrs.  Lang,  Leaf,  and  Myers  call  her  a  "child," 
but  the  difficulty  is  a  great  deal  more  than  verbal. 
Chrysa  was  plainly  a  sea-port,  as  Chryseis  was  taken 
back  there  in  a  ship  by  Ulysses,  and  presented  to  her 
father  with  much  pomp.  If  Chryses  was  a  priest  of  the 
great  Temple  of  Apollo  at  Chrysa,  for  at  least  twenty- 
seven  years  he  must  have  been  almost  entirely  separated 
from  his  daughter,  Queen  Astynome,  for  Thebe  is  forty 
miles  from  the  sea.  Would  he  call  an  Imperial  lady  of 
fifty  years  of  age  a  "child"?  Why,  too,  did  he  fore- 
gather with  Achilles  to  help  him — Achilles  who  had  just 
barbarously  slaughtered  his  seven  grandsons  ? 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  33 

are  called  upon  to  believe  that  Achilles 
during  the  first  nine  years  of  the  war 
carried  away  these  men  for  his  twelve  land 
and  eleven  sea  campaigns  ;  and  that  the 
remaining  97,000  odd  warriors  remained 
inactive  in  front  of  Troy.  A  minor  absurdity 
here  would  be  that  not  one  of  these  heroes 
was  even  trying  to  fulfil  his  solemn  oath, 
which  was  to  kill  Paris  for  his  great  crime. 
The  stout  Greeks  under  Agamemnon  were 
only  blockading  him ;  and  Achilles  was 
slaughtering  crowds  of  people  who  most 
probably  did  not  know  that  Helen  existed. 
Does  not  this  raise  many  questions.^  Why 
were  ten  years  of  war  necessary  ?  **  Smith's 
Dictionary"  shows  that  Helen  was  first 
carried  away  by  Theseus ;  and  that  her 
brothers,  Castor  and  Pollux,  went  to  Athens 
and  rescued  her  without  delaying  nine  years, 
or  even  one.  This  fits  much  more  closely 
into  the  story  of  Rama,  who,  with  his  brother, 
Lakshmana,  are  called  in  the  "  Ramayana  " 
the  Asvins,  or  Twins,  of  the  Indian  Zodiac. 
Another  early  legend  noticed  in  "Smith's 
Dictionary  "  is  that  Helen  was  for  some  time 

3 


34  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

in  the  power  of  Proteus.  Here  we  get 
Kama-rupa,  a  nickname  of  Ravana — the 
"demon  who  chancres  his  form  at  will." 
Then  Helen  telling  King  Priam  the  names 
of  the  Greek  warriors  at  the  beginning  of  the 
tenth  year,  seems  to  show  that  he  could  not 
have  watched  them  for  nine  previous  years. 
Would  a  study  of  the  Indian  "Ramayana" 
throw  a  light  on  these  puzzles,  that  a  study 
of  the  Homeric  poems  renders  difficult 
enough  ?  What  if  a  bold  improvisatore  like 
Demodocus  had  composed  a  version  of 
Rama's  story,  the  "  Fall  of  Thebe  "  ?  Rama, 
to  avenge  Sita,  whom  he  believes  to  have 
been  defiled  by  Ravana,  the  Master  of  Lanka 
slaughters  him,  his  three  brothers,  Khara, 
Dushan  and  Kumbhakarna,  and  his  sons 
Aksha  and  Indrajit.  Achilles,  though  King 
Eetion  has  never  wronged  him  at  all,  is 
made  to  imitate  this  wholesale  butchery  on 
the  King  and  his  seven  sons.  Achilles  says 
that  this  capture  of  Thebe  was  more  difficult 
than  the  siege  of  Troy.^ 

^  The  spot  usually  fixed  as  the  site  of  Troy  is  a  plain, 
marshy  in  many  places,  decorated  with  tamarisk  bushes. 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  35 

Homeric  poems  were  at  first  the  recitation 
sketches  of  Demodocus  and  Phemius  ;  short, 
telling,  confined  to  one  sitting.  Also  they 
had  a  money  value,  and  as  such  were  kept 
private.  Homer,  says  Mr.  Gilbert  Murray, 
left  the  "  Cypria,"  as  his  daughter's  dowry, 
and  the  ''  Taking  of  Oechalia,"  to  his  heir, 
Creophylus.-^  Our  suggested  sketch,  the 
"  Taking  of  Thebe,"  fulfils  these  conditions. 
Thebe  had  to  be  substituted  for  Troy,  as  an 
equivalent  for  Lanka.  And  Homer  on  other 
points  showed  a  partiality  for  strong  effects. 
Had  Valmiki's  picture  of  Ravana  anything  to 
do  with  Homer's  picture  of  Zeus  ?  Both 
potentates  are  on  the  side  of  rape,  outrage, 
robbery.    Both  by  miraculous  means  slaughter 


and  girt  by  the  rocky  spurs  and  the  more  distant  high- 
lands of  the  Ida  range.  Achilles  had  under  him  2,750 
men.  Did  his  trip  to  Thebe  and  his  other  land  expedi- 
tions start  from  this  plain?  If  so,  how  far  would  the 
forces  have  got,  starting  without  carriage,  without  port- 
able food,  without  tents,  and  led  by  a  raw  youth  who 
knew  nothing  of  war  ?  Thebe  is  some  forty  miles  inland. 
It  must  be  more  difficult  under  such  circumstances  tc 
take  Thebe  than  to  take  Troy. 

1  "Rise  of  the  Greek  Epic,"  p.  93. 


36  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

the  besiegers  in  thousands,  Zeus  by  guiding 
the  arrows  of  the  Trojans,  Ravana  by  send- 
ing serpentine  arrows,  which  move  about  of 
their  own  accord,  kiUing  everybody.  Both 
produce  dense  darkness  at  midday  ;  and 
mists  that  specially  save  Indrajit,  who, 
according  to  Monsieur  Fauche,  as  I  have 
shown,  figures  in  Troy  as  Hector.  Both 
rain  blood  as  portents  when  their  sons  are 
about  to  die. 

But  I  have  not  yet  done  with  Ravana. 
He  had  two  aspects — a  necessity  if  he  were 
Siva.  Was  the  picture  of  Hector  the  better 
side  of  Ravana  ?  The  grief  of  Mandodari, 
Ravana's  wife,  is  very  pathetic ;  and  reminds 
one  of  the  grief  of  the  parting  of  Hector  and 
Andromache,  transforming  it  from  a  ''  lament  " 
into  a  dramatic  scene.  There  are  three 
characters  in  each  —  the  most  illustrious 
warrior  in  the  defence  of  the  City  of  Trans- 
gression ;  an  exceptionally  noble  woman,  his 
wife  ;  and  their  little  son.  Both  wives  urge 
their  husbands  not  to  fight,  the  Indian 
matron  taking  the  high  ground  that  the  war 
is    unjust.       Both    have    a    premonition    of 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  37 

disaster.  And  the  poem  of  Valmiki  strikes 
the  deepest  note  of  woe,  because  widowhood 
and  the  scorn  and  servitude  that  come  to  the 
wives  of  defeated  soldiers  are  already  the  lot 
of  the  lady,  in  fact  and  not  in  surmise. 
Homer's  effort  is  considered  the  gem  of  the 
"  Iliad,"  and  it  is  very  touching  : 

LAMENT  OF  MANDODARI. 

His  sleep  is  sound 
Who  had  a  god  for  brother,  God  of  Gold ; 

And  on  the  ground 
He  lies  by  broken  cars  and  corpses  cold ; 
The  piteous  screams  of  widows  that  deplore  him 

Make  sad  the  night, 
The  God  that  holds  the  Vajra  quailed  before  him 
In  awful  fight. 
Oh,  where  is  now  the  bow 
That  laid  whole  cohorts  low, 

And  made  the  God  of  Light 
A  conqueror  to  know  ? 

I  counselled  thee  to  shun  this  fateful  war, 

O  spouse  esteemed  ! 
A  woman's  love  scents  peril  from  afar, 

By  man  undreamed. 
I  saw  thy  fate  advancing  from  the  plain, 
I  saw  thy  fate  advancing  through  the  main — 

And  thou  wert  told, 


38  RAMA  and  homer 

By  thine  own  brother  Vibishana  sage, 
To  still  fierce  Rama's  rage 
By  giving  back  his  wife  ; 
Nor  in  the  balance  place 
In  the  one  scale  thy  soul,  thy  realm,  thy  life — 
And  in  the  next  success  that  meant  disgrace. 


Thy  wife  why  didst  thou  scorn  ? 
From  Maya  goddess  in  the  eternal  spheres 
That  wife  was  born. 
Maya  !     Illusion  !  was  her  name  ! 
In  the  bright  heavens  she  distanced  all  compeers- 
Illusion  was  her  fame. 
The  gods  they  clustered  round  her  as  the  bees 
Seek  the  illusion  of  the  honeyed  trees  ; 
And  when  in  heaven's  groves 
In  famed  Kailas  we  plucked  the  asphodels, 
Thou  and  thy  bride, 
And  wandered  side  by  side. 
Thou  saidst  to  me  that  Maya's  spells 
Nourished  our  loves. 


Black  night  it  comes  to  all — 
In  my  swift  car  that  glistened  like  the  sun, 

And  stole  its  hue, 
I  wandered  through  the  realms  my  spouse  had  won, 

Shaturnijetri  at  my  side. 

Our  infant  boy  and  pride. 

And  with  his  father  true. 
Great  King,  take  up  once  more  thy  broken  lance, 

Thy  breastplate  torn, 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES  39 

Trust  all  again  to  fickle  battle's  chance 
And  save  thy  wife  from  scorn 

And  servitude,  and  many  days  of  pain. 

Answer,  O  King,  thy  wife  forlorn ! 
I  call  to  thee  in  vain. 

The  gods  are  watchful  and  the  gods  are  just. 

They  fling  the  malefactor  in  the  dust ; 

And  in  thine  eyes, 
Sita  could  place  a  balm,  a  salve  amazing. 
It  conjured  up  a  thousand  ecstasies, 
Dreams  without  substance,  glamours  that  were  dazing ; 

For  Sita's  balm 

It  brought  no  calm, 

Its  name  was  Death. 

It  is  difficult  to  read  this  without  thinking 
of  the  touching  scenes  between  Hector  and 
Andromache,  also  accompanied  by  a  little  boy. 

The  farewells  in  the  "  Iliad"  have  other 
points  of  analogy  : 

Mandodari.  Andromache. 

Great  Prince,  it  is  not  Too  daring  prince,  ah ! 
wise  for  thee  to  confront  whither  dost  thou  run  ? 

great  Rama,  Ah  !    too   forgetful  of  thy 

O  chief  do  not  cause  the  wife  and  son. 

ruin  of  this  city.     Do  not      Greece  in  her  single  heroes 
offer  up  thine  entire  family.  strove  in  vain — 

New  hosts  oppose  thee  and 
thou  must  be  slain. 


40 


RAMA  AND  HOMER 


the  Chief  Ejieniy. 

The  fierce   x\chilles   wrapt 

our  walls  in  fire. 
Laid  Thebe  waste,  and  slew 

my  warlike  sire ; 
His  fate  compassion  in  the 

victor  bred, 
Stern   as   he   was,   he   yet 

revered  the  dead. 
By  the  same  arm  my  seven 

brave  brothers  fell. 
In  one  sad  day  beheld  the 

gates  of  hell. 
My  mother  lived  to   wear 

the  victor's  bands. 
The  Queen  of  Hippodacia's 

sylvan  lands. 
Redeemed    too    late,    she 

scarce  beheld  again 
Her  pleasing  empire   and 

her  native  plain, 
When,   ah !   oppressed   by 

life  consuming  woe 
She  fell  a  victim  to  Diana's 

bow. 

Three  Sorties. 

Three  times  bold  chiefs      Thrice   our  bold  foes  the 
have    led    thy    multitudes  fierce  attack  have  given, 

beyond  the  city  walls. 


The  Prowess  of 

Rama,  the  son  of  Dasa- 
ratha  is  more  than  man. 
He  killed  thy  brother 
Khara,  and  routed  his 
hordes.  There,  too,  he  killed 
Inciras  Kabandha  and  Vi- 
radha,  and  broke  to  pieces 
all  the  hosts  of  Bali.  The 
Janasthana  reeks  with 
slaughtered  foes,  thy  faith- 
ful soldiers.  My  fears 
began  when  he  pierced 
Maricha  in  the  Dandaka 
wood.  He  had  gone  there 
as  an  anchorite,  bound  by 
a  vow  of  his  father.  Oh, 
why  hast  thou  brought  him 
away? 


THE   mi:etix(t  of  HKtxor.  and  andromache  (p-  39) 


cows   AND   cow   CASE.  ( /,.  51) 


THE  STORY  OF  ACHILLES 


41 


More  Lives  than 
Thus  speaks  thy  wife, 
Thy  city,  and  thy  kin, 
In  thee  are  centred  all. 


Thy 
Queen, 
sidered. 
my    life 
splendour  ? 
the   son    of 


Ravana. 

speech,     sweet 

cannot    be     con- 

What   would  be 

if    shorn    of    its 

I  have  robbed 

Das'aratha   of 


his  wife,  and  basely  boasted 
of  it.  I  have  brought  vast 
armies  to  defend  my  capital. 
My  victories  have  been 
over  gods  and  demons.  I 
have  routed  Indra  and  the 
Immortals. 


One  threatened. 

Whilst  yet  my  Hector  still 

survives  I  see 
My  father,  mother,  brethren, 

all  in  thee. 

Hector. 
Andromache,  my  soul's  far 

better  part, 
^Vhy  with  untimely  sorrows 

heave  thy  heart  ? 
No  hostile  hand  can  ante- 
date my  doom. 
Till  fate  condemns  me  to 

the  silent  tomb. 
How   would   the   souls   of 

Troy  in  arms  renowned, 
And  Troy's  proud  dames, 

whose    garments    sweep 

the  ground, 
Attaint  the   lustre   of    my 

former  name. 
Should  Hector  basely  quit 

the  field  of  fame  ? 


Both   Heroes  have  Fremojtitions. 


I  know  that  Rama 
slaughtered  Madhu.  I 
know  that  I  must  perish  at 
his  hand,  but  I  shall  not 
make  peace  with  him. 


Yet  come  it  will  the  day 

decreed  by  Fates. 
How    my   heart    trembles, 

whilst  my  tongue  relates — 
The  day  when  thou  imperial 

Troy  must  bend, 
And  see  thy  warriors   fall, 

thy  glories  end. 


CHAPTER  III 

STORY    OF    ULYSSES 

The  "  Odyssey "  is  usually  described  as  a 
continuation  of  the  ''Iliad";  but  this  is 
plainly  not  the  case,  as  the  four  opening  lines 
testify : 

"  The  Man  for  wisdom's  various  arts  renowned, 
Long  exercised  in  woes,  O  Muse  !  resound  ; 
Who  when  his  arms  had  wrought  the  destined  fall 
Of  sacred  Troy  and  razed  her  heaven-built  wall." 

The  poet  evidently  here  affirms  that 
Ulysses  captured  Troy.  He  it  was  whose 
cunning  art  devised  the  wooden  horse,  and 
who  stole  the  Palladium.  This  story  puts 
aside  Achilles  altogether.  Menelaus,  asked 
which  was  the  greatest  hero  in  the  war, 
answers  thus  : 

"  For    them    all    I    make    no    such    dole, 
despite  my  grief,  as  for  one  only,  who  causes 
me  to  loathe  both  sleep  and  meat,  when  I  think 
42 


STORY  OF  ULYSSES  43 

upon  him.  For  no  one  of  the  Achaeans  toiled 
so  greatly  as  Odysseus  toiled  and  adventured 
himself."  ^ 

Would  anyone  judge  that  Achilles  was  the 
one  stupendous  character  in  the  Trojan  War 
from  this  speech  ? 

Here  is  the  second  speech  of  Menelaus  : 

"  Ere  now  have  I  learned  the  counsel  and 
the  thought  of  many  heroes,  and  travelled  over 
many  a  land,  but  never  yet  have  mine  eyes 
beheld  any  such  man  of  heart  as  was 
Odysseus."^ 

In  point  of  fact  the  "  Odyssey  "  seems  a 
complete  story  of  an  Aryan  Sun-hero  like 
Rama,  with  the  order  a  little  dislocated.  He 
wins  the  bride  of  a  Svayamvara,  but  as  it 
was  notorious  that  this  was  not  Helen,  he  is 
obliged  to  postpone  this  fact  to  the  end  of 
his  story.  He  has  more  than  his  share  of  the 
usual  fateful  ''  banishment."  He  eoes  to 
Troy,  and  is  there  chief  hero.  Like  Rama, 
he  is  tempted  by  a  witch  with  exquisite  sup- 
posititious charms.     He  succumbs  for  seven 

1  Butcher  and  Lang,  "Odyssey,"  IV.  51  (trans.). 

2  /did.,  56. 


44  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

years.  He  visits  hell  like  Rama.  His  wife,  a 
noble  creation,  and  much  nearer  to  the  Indian 
heroine  than  other  Homeric  women,  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  foul  band  of  ^'  suitors,"  as  they 
are  called ;  and  they  seek  to  destroy  her 
purity,  like  the  Rakshasas  of  Lanka,  by 
whom  they  were  probably  suggested. 

The  descent  into  hell  seems  put  in  on 
purpose  to  get  rid  of  Achilles  altogether. 

We  learn  that  at  the  siege  of  Troy  there 
was  a  hero  named  Neoptolemus,  who  rivalled 
his  father  Achilles  in  valour.  He  slew 
*'  hosts  "  of  Trojans,  and  was  the  only  hero 
in  the  wooden  horse  that  did  not  quail.  He 
went  to  Troy  with  the  expedition,  with 
Ulysses  in  his  good  hollow  ship,  and  was  in 
the  camp  ten  years,  and  left  with  much  spoil. 
He  was  at  all  the  councils  of  war,  and  sur- 
passed all  except  Ulysses  and  Nestor  in 
wisdom  and  eloquence.  And  yet  his  father 
Achilles  was  not  aware  that  he  went  to  Troy 
at  all. 

In  the   "  Odyssey  "  the  shade  of  Achilles 
puts  this  question  to  Ulysses  '} 
1  Butcher  and  Lang,  '' Odyssey,"  XI.  p.  187  (trans.). 


STORY  OF  ULYSSES  45 

"  But  come,  tell  me  tidings  of  that  lordly 
son  of  mine — did  he  follow  to  the  war  to  be 
a  leader  or  not  ?" 

This  is  the  answer  : 

"  Concerning  thy  dear  son  Neoptolemus, 
I  will  tell  thee  all  the  truth,  according  to  thy 
word.  It  was  I  that  led  him  up  out  of 
Scyros  in  my  good  hollow  ship,  in  the  wake 
of  the  goodly  greaved  Achaeans.  Now  oft 
as  we  took  counsel  around  Troy  town,  he  was 
ever  the  first  to  speak,  and  no  word  missed 
the  mark  ;  the  godlike  Nestor  and  1  alone 
surpassed  him.  But  whensoever  we  Achaeans 
did  battle  on  the  plain  of  Troy,  he  never  tarried 
behind  in  the  throng  or  the  press  of  men,  but 
ran  far  out  before  us  all,  yielding  to  none  in 
that  might  of  his.  And  many  men  he  slew  in 
warfare  dread  ;  but  I  could  not  tell  of  all  or 
name  their  names,  even  all  the  host  he  slew  in 
succouring  the  Argives,  save  only  how  he 
smote  with  the  sword  that  son  of  Telephus, 
the  hero  Eurypylus,  and  many  Ceteians  of 
his  company  were  slain  around  him,  by  reason 
of  a  woman's  bribe.  He  truly  was  the 
comeliest  man  that  ever  I  saw,  next  to  goodly 


46  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Memnon.  And  again  when  we,  the  best  of 
the  Argives,  were  about  to  go  down  into  the 
horse  which  Epeus  wrought,  and  the  charge 
of  all  was  laid  on  me,  both  to  open  the  door 
of  our  orood  ambush  and  to  shut  the  same, 
then  did  the  other  princes  and  counsellors  of 
the  Danaans  wipe  away  the  tears,  and  the 
limbs  of  each  one  trembled  beneath  him,  but 
never  once  did  I  see  thy  son's  fair  face  wax 
pale,  nor  did  he  wipe  the  tears  from  his 
cheeks.  .  .   . 

After  we  had  sacked  the  steep  city  of 
Priam,  he  embarked  unscathed  with  his  share 
of  the  spoil."  ^ 

Other  borrowings  occur  : 

Like  Tadaka,  a  female  giant  Scylla  figures. 
She  seizes  half  a  dozen  sailors  and  munches 
them  up  simultaneously ;  and  we  get  even 
more  direct  plagiarism  in  the  matter  of  the 
one-eyed  Cyclops,  Polyphemus,  who  snaps 
up  the  two  sailors  of  Ulysses  in  his  monstrous 
hands.  He  is  the  mighty  giant  Danu,  of  the 
Indian  story,  also  one-eyed.  Danu  seizes 
Rama  and  Lakshmana  in  the  same  way. 
1  Butcher  and  Lang,  ''Odyssey,"  XI.  p.  i88  (trans.). 


STORY  OF  ULYSSES  47 

Ulysses  puts  out  his  giant's  one  eye.  The 
brave  Indian  heroes  hack  off  the  gigantic 
hands  of  their  enemy  ;  and  there  is  a  palpable 
suggestion  for  the  Sirens  of  the  Greek  work 
in  the  Indian  account  of  the  "  Golden  Cavern 
of  the  Five  Apsaras "  (Nymphs  of  India), 
with  its  golden  trees  and  gem  fruits.  Soft 
songs  come  up  from  below  as  the  rash 
stranger  stands  gazing  at  the  enchanted  lake. 
He  is  enticed  into  the  cavern,  but  can  never 
find  the  way  out.  He  leaves  his  bones  there. 
Penelope,  working  and  undoing  her  tapestry, 
is  an  Homeric  picture  that  young  girls  love  ; 
but  the  satirical  author  of  "  Erewhon,"  Mr. 
Butler,  views  it  from  a  different  standpoint. 
'*  Let  us  see  what  the  '  Odyssey  '  asks  us  to 
believe,  or  rather,  to  swallow,"  says  Mr. 
Butler.  "We  are  told  that  more  than  a 
hundred  young  men  fell  violently  in  love 
at  the  same  time  with  a  supposed  widow, 
who  before  the  close  of  their  suit  could 
hardly  have  been  under  forty,  and  who  had  a 
grown-up  son — pestering  her  for  several 
years  with  addresses  that  they  know  are 
most  distasteful  to  her.    They  are  so  madly  in 


48  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

love  with  her  that  they  cannot  think  of  pro- 
posing to  anyone  else  till  she  has  made  her 
choice.  When  she  has  done  this  they  will 
go  ;  till  then,  they  will  pay  her  out  for  her 
cruel  treatment  of  them  by  eating  her  son 
Telemachus  out  of  house  and  home.  This, 
therefore,  they  proceed  to  do,  and  Penelope, 
who  is  a  model  wife  and  mother,  suffers 
agonies  of  grief,  partly  because  of  the  death 
of  her  husband,  and  partly  because  she 
cannot  get  the  suitors  out  of  the  house."  ^ 
Mr.  Butler  shows  also  that  these  suitors 
leave  the  house  very  quietly  every  night, 
and  that  on  one  occasion  Penelope  threatened 
to  forbid  the  return  of  one  of  them — a  threat 
that  she  mi^ht  have  executed  as  often  as  she 

o 

liked,  apparently,  as  she  was  living  quite 
close  to  her  father-in-law,  from  whom  Ulysses 
had  derived  the  immense  wealth  that  was  now 
being  squandered.  She  might  have  gone  to 
him  for  protection.  Can  we  find  for  these 
transactions  any  other  interpretation  than  that 
of  Mr.  Butler  less  damaging  to  the  talent  of 
the  author  ? 

1  Butler,  "Authoress  of  the  Odyssey,"  p.  125. 


STORY  OF  ULYSSES  49 

My  suggestion  is  this  :  Three  of  the  lead- 
ing events  in  the  Life  of  Rama  have  been 
welded  into  one  little  drama  by  an  author 
whose  leading  idea,  as  I  have  already  shown, 
seems  to  have  been  to  give  to  Ulysses  a 
zodiacal  biography  similar  to  that  of  Rama ; 
or,  if  it  be  true  that  the  "Return  of  Ulysses" 
and  the  ''  Death  of  the  Suitors  "  were  origin- 
ally separate  stories,  he  may  have  furbished 
up  the  last  with  jousts  and  archery  and  much 
bloodshed — points  that  he  knew  were  popular 
with  the  audiences  of  Demodocus  and 
Phemius. 

In  the  story  of  Rama,  Sita  is  carried  away 
to  Lanka  by  the  Ten-headed  Fiend.  Two 
facts  are  noteworthy  during  her  stay  there  : 
she  is  in  the  complete  power  of  a  demon 
King,  but  her  honour  is  safe,  as  he  hopes  to 
kill  her  husband  and  marry  her. 

This  is  the  motif  with  Penelope  also.  Any 
one  of  the  suitors  might  have  assaulted  her 
in  the  unprotected  house  at  night,  but  all 
behave  admirably,  the  reason  given  being 
that  each  hopes  to  marry  her  and  get  her 
fortune.       Then    the    women    of    Ravana's 

4 


50  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

palace  are  fiends  who  bully  Sita,  and  the 
women  of  Penelope  are  many  of  them  no 
better  than  they  should  be,  and  the  men  are 
what  would  be  called  behind  the  scenes  of  a 
theatre  "  general  utility."  At  first  they  are 
gay  young  country  squires,  a  little  too  fond 
of  drink  and  good  cheer  ;  then  they  wear 
the  flowery  wreaths  of  bridegrooms — would- 
be  bridegrooms — and  come  forward  to  box 
and  shoot  with  the  bow,  the  old-world  bride- 
groom test  ;  thirdly,  they  are  shut  up  in  a 
room  to  act  as  easy  targets  to  Ulysses,  who, 
imitating  Rama  in  the  presence  of  Khara  or 
Dushan,  desires  to  show  that  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible for  one  archer  to  slaughter  a  large  army. 

Mr.  Butler  declares  that  this  massacre  of 
the  suitors  is  an  insoluble  puzzle.  Twelve 
axes  were  set  up  in  a  room  by  Telemachus. 
**  First  he  dug  a  good  trench  and  set  up  the 
axes,  one  long  trench  for  them  all,  and  over 
it  he  made  straight  the  line  and  round  about 
stamped  in  the  earth.  And  amazement  fell  on 
all  that  beheld  how  orderly  he  set  the  axes, 
though  never  before  had  he  seen  it  so."  ^ 

1  Butcher  and  Lang,  "Odyssey,"  XXI.  348  (trans.). 


STORY  OF  ULYSSES  51 

The  setting  up  of  the  axes  firmly  and  in  a 
rigid  line  was  all  that  Telemachus  sought  to 
do,  and  his  success  astonished  him.  "  His 
perfect  skill  the  wondrous  gazers  eyed." 
That  is  Pope's  version.  Professor  J  ebb 
tells  us  that  after  the  suitors  had  each  tried 
to  string  the  great  bow  and  failed,  Ulysses 
strung  it  easily,  and  then  sent  an  arrow 
through  the  twelve  "  helve-holes "  {helve  is 
an  old  Anglo-Saxon  word  for  "handle"). 
But  to  execute  this  feat  without  a  miracle 
the  line  of  flight  through  the  helve  -  holes 
must  have  been  parallel  with  the  line  of  the 
ground,  whereas  each  helve-hole  of  Tele- 
machus was  at  right  angles  to  it,  and  the 
handle  still  in.  These  handles  would  have 
to  be  taken  out  and  the  metal  adjusted  and 
supported  for  the  work,  a  mechanical  feat 
quite  beyond  anybody  there.  Was  there  a 
miracle  ?  The  story  is  plainly  a  version  of 
Rama's  feat.  To  show  his  power  to  King 
Sugriva  he  shot  an  arrow  through  the  stems 
of  seven  Talipot  palm-tr^es  ranged  in  line 
But  he  used  the  "  Bow  of  Siva,"  which  he 
won   at   the  jousts.      And  lo  emphasize  this 


52  RAiMA  AND  HOMER 

feat,  perhaps,  we  are  told  that  his  arrow, 
after  splitting  the  tree-stems,  roared  along 
thunderously  until  it  reached  Patala,  Siva's 
hell.  Then  Ulysses  has  one  quiver  of 
arrows.  Flaxman,  who  knew  more  about 
ancient  Greek  arms  than  modern  English 
ones,  gives  a  drawing  of  it.  You  can  count 
the  arrows — about  a  dozen.  With  these  he 
begins  to  slaughter  over  a  hundred  men  in  a 
room. 

''  Draw  your  blades,  .  .  .  and  let  us  all  have 
at  him  !"  ^  cries  Eurymachus — an  unnecessary 
urging,  for  the  rear  of  the  crowd  would  have 
at  once  pushed  the  front  right  up  to  the  bold 
archer  and  overwhelmed  him. 

The  "  Death  of  the  Suitors "  and  the 
"Fall  of  Thebe "  are  little  improvisatore 
sketches  which  throw  light  the  one  on  the 
other. 

^  Butcher  and  Lang,  "Odyssey,"  XXII.,  361  (trans.). 


CHAPTER  IV 


From  the  last  three  chapters  I  think  that 
there  is  a  strong  presumption  that  Homer 
must  have  seen  the  *'  Ramayana  "  of  Valmiki. 
It  is,  however,  only  a  small  part  of  the 
evidence  that  I  propose  to  adduce  in  favour 
of  a  connection  between  the  Greek  and  the 
Indian  writers.  That  evidence  will  be  divided 
into  three  sections  : 

1.  The  strange  analogies  between  Valmiki 
and  Homer. 

2.  A  connection  almost  as  striking  between 
the  stories  of  Hercules  and  Rama.  This,  if 
established,  would  quite  upset  the  theory  of 
the  Modernist  Sanskrit  scholars  that  the 
story  of  the  "  Iliad"  is  very,  very  much  older 
than  that  of  the  "  Siege  of  Lanka." 

3.  I    shall   show  that  the  great    Battle   of 

S3 


54  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

the  Gods  described  in  Hesiod,  and  the 
great  Battle  of  the  Gods  described  in  the 
"  Ramayana  "  are  precisely  the  same  ;  and 
that  the  Indian  story  alone  has  any  historical 
basis. 

I  will  begin  with  a  digest  of  the  great 
poem,  pointing  out  here  and  there  analogies 
as  they  arise,  but  striving  to  reproduce  some 
of  the  pathos  and  some  of  the  poetry  of 
Valmiki's  work. 

The  story  opens  with  a  description  of 
the  worthy  King  Dasaratha,  monarch  of 
Ayodhya,  the  capital  of  Kausala.  Dasaratha 
was  at  once  King,  chief  warrior  and  chief' 
saint,  or  medicine-man,  like  the  rulers  of  all 
early  savage  tribes.  He  had  practical  initia- 
tion in  Indian  asceticism.  He  "  was  versed 
in  the  Vedas  and  the  six  Angas."  His 
sight  was  as  keen  as  that  of  an  eagle.  He 
was  supremely  just,  strong  and  valiant. 
Happiness  was  the  lot  in  his  capital  of  the 
poor  and  the  rich.  That  city  was  seated  on 
the  River  Saryu  and  was  girt  with  ramparts 
and  tall  towers.  Ayodhya  in  Sanskrit 
means     "  the     Impregnable     City."     Broad 


THE  '' rAmAyANA  "  55 

streets,  filled  daily  with  merchants  and  nobles 
and  horses  and  elephants,  skirted  proud 
buildings,  each  surrounded  by  bowery  trees. 
There  were  fountains  and  flowers  and  public 
gardens.  There  were  altars  for  all  the  gods, 
where  the  sacred  fire  for  ever  burned.  Lutes, 
flutes  and  tambourines  made  pleasant  music. 
Priests  were  abundant,  and  soldiers  with  clubs 
and  bow  and  Sataghnis,  which  Colonel  Yule 
believed  to  have  been  a  prehistoric  rocket 
or  torpedo.  Plainly,  King  Dasaratha  ought 
to  have  been  a  contented  man. 

But  the  very  reverse  was  the  case.  From 
none  of  his  wives  could  he  obtain  a  son  to 
succeed  him.  This  is  a  crucial  calamity  with 
the  early  races.  And  more  was  behind  :  a 
demon  named  Ravana,  whose  palace  was  in 
Lanka,  or  Ceylon,  had  suddenly  taken  it  into 
his  evil  brain  to  vex  Upper  India  as  well  as 
the  South.  He  sent  forth  his  Rakshasas  to 
spoil  the  crops,  to  withhold  rain,  to  spread 
fever  and  famine  ;  and  even  to  vex  the  holy 
ascetics  performing  Yoga  in  the  jungles. 
Ravana  was  a  mortal  who,  by  his  astounding 
mortifications    and   penances,   had    gained    a 


56  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

great  reputation  for  sanctity  ;  and  by  means 
of  this  he  had  beguiled  Brahma,  the  Lord  of 
Heaven,  to  give  him  entry  into  the  ranks 
of  the  immortals.  The  god  had  promised 
that  neither  god  nor  demon  should  have 
power  to  kill  him.  Fortified  by  this,  his 
mortifications  had  increased  an  hundredfold, 
and  also  his  miraculous  powers.  Even  the 
gods  were  astounded.  In  a  body  they  re- 
paired to  Brahma  : 

"  The  rites  are  done,  and  now  the  gods  arise 
And  seek  the  silvered  mountain  in  the  skies. 
There  sits  the  Lord  of  All  in  awful  state ; 
They  prostrate  fall  and  him  importunate : 
'  Great  Brahma,  Judge  of  every  mortal  deed, 
A  misplaced  favour  thou  didst  once  concede. 
By  rites  austere  and  semblance  of  a  saint, 
False  Ravan  mimed  a  life  without  a  taint.' 
"  O  grant  me,  Lord,"  he  cried,  "  in  days  of  strife 
That  god  or  demon  ne'er  shall  take  my  life !" 
Thou  didst  consent.     He  joined  the  bands  of  hell 
And  all  thy  hosts  are  palsied  by  this  spell ; 
The  gods  he  daunts — he  frightens  every  one — 
Indra  himself  was  vanquished  by  his  son ; 
The  Hotris  fear  to  tend  the  sacred  fire, 
All  hushed  the  music  of  the  heavenly  quire ; 
The  fruitful  sun  no  longer  gilds  the  land, 
No  more  the  wavelets  tumble  on  the  strand ! 


THE  ''RAMAYANA"  57 

Give  ear,  O  Lord  of  Wisdom,  Lord  of  Power  ! 

Tis  thine  alone  to  save  us  in  the  hour  ! 

Tis  thine  to  baffle  quibble  and  deceit, 

And  smite  the  culprit  with  a  vengeance  fleet ; 

A  calm  astounding — fateful — everywhere — 

Like  brooding  thunder  taints  the  waveless  air.'  " 

The  Creator  of  the  Universe  paused  for  a 
moment  or  two,  and  then  pronounced  these 
words  :  "  I  promised  that  no  god  or  no  evil 
spirit  should  ever  kill  Ravana.  But  I  said 
nothing  about  men.  By  man  Ravana  can  be 
killed." 

These  words  comforted  the  gods  ;  and 
they  looked  round  the  world  for  a  fitting 
hero,  and  their  glance  fell  on  Dasaratha,  who 
was  about  to  celebrate  a  horse-sacrifice 
{aswamddha)  to  obtain  a  long-desired  son. 
Was  there  not  a  superstition  in  those  days 
that  the  horse-sacrifice  was  the  most  potent 
of  spells  ? 

This  gives  the  Battle  of  the  Gods,  which 
is  the  story  of  the  "  Ramayana."  Had  it  any 
historical  basis  t  The  question  is  answered 
both  by  the  Eastern  Aryans  and  the  Eranians. 
The  "  R4mayana  "  states  that  Bali  or  Siva,  by 
ascetic  practices,  attained   so  much  magical 


58  RAmA  and  homer 

power  that  he  remained  Master  of  the  Three 
Worlds.  That  means  that  the  reHgion  of 
Siva  overcame  the  polytheism  of  the  early 
Aryans.  Bali  conquers  Indra.  Ravana 
conquers  Indra,  Ravana's  son,  Indrajit,  is 
named  the  '*  Conqueror  of  Indra "  by  the 
Supreme  Brahma.  A  passage  in  the  "  Rama- 
yana  "  specially  describes  Ravana  as  having 
"  overthrown  the  thirty-three  gods  of  Vedism 
and  defeated  even  the  Monarch  of  the 
Immortals."^ 

Turning  to  the  "  Zend  A  vesta,"  the  earliest 
record  of  the  Western  Aryans,  we  find 
strong  anathemas  and  excommunications 
levelled  against  their  brethren  in  India  for 
having  adopted  the  religion  of  the  Devas. 
Anra  Mainyas,  better  known  as  Ahriman, 
is  the  "  Deva  of  Devas" — that  is,  Siva. 
The  name  Shiva  is  actually  used :  '*  I 
combat  Shauru."^  All  Persian  scholars 
affirm  that  this  is  Siva  under  his  name 
"  Shaurva."      Professor   Spiegel  shows  that 

^  Fauche,  "  Ramayana." 
2  "  Fargard,"  x.,  ver.  17. 


THE  "RAMAYANA"  59 

the      name     "  Shauru "     is      also      in     the 
"  Bundehesh."  ^ 

This,  in  a  few  words,  is  what  occurred  in 
Greece  : 

Ouranos    had     for     wife     Gaea,     Mother 
Earth.     From  her  were  born  Kronos,  Hype- 
rion,  Briareus,   Gyges,  Gotta  and  a  number 
of    other    sons,     whom    the     father     called 
Titans    and   shut  up    in    the    bowels  of   the 
earth.     This    caused    these    Titans    to    con- 
spire with  their  mother  against  their  father. 
Armed  with  a  scythe,  Kronos  boldly  attacked 
him,  and  treated  him  as  Typhon  treated  the 
body  of  Osiris,  and  usurped  his  position  as 
the  god  of  gods.      Titanus,  the  elder  brother 
of    Kronos,    assisted    him    in    all    this    and 
allowed    Kronos     the    sovereignty    of     the 
spheres  on  condition  that  he  raised  no  male 
children.     Kronos,  to  fulfil  this  contract,  ate 
up  his  children  one  by  one,  to  the  grief  of 
their  mother  Rhcea.     When  Zeus  was  born, 
that  lady  secreted  him,  and  gave  her  husband 
a    stone   wrapped    up   in  a    cloth.     This   he 
greedily  swallowed.     Zeus  was  concealed  in 
^  "  Avesta,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  29. 


6o  rAma  and  homer 

a  cave  on  Mount  Ida  in  Crete.  When  he 
grew  up  he  released  his  brothers.  Kronos 
disgorged  them,  including  the  big  stone. 
But  Zeus,  suspecting  that  his  father  had  a 
design  to  murder  him,  having  first  of  all 
fought  for  his  father,  afterwards  attacked  and 
deposed  him. 

Here,  in  brief,  we  have  the  historical  story 
of  the  "  Ramayana :" — Kronos  or  Siva  de- 
thrones Ouranos  or  Indra.  Then  Zeus  or 
Brahma  dethrones  Kronos  and  his  crew. 

All  this  is  vital ;  but  not  to  interrupt  the 
narrative  too  much  I  will  take  it  up  afterwards. 

The   gods,    having   selected   their  human 

champion,    debated    in    council  how  to  help 

him: 

"  Said  Brahma  to  the  gods  assembled  there, 
*  For  this  great  fight  we  must  in  time  prepare ; 
Ten-headed  Ravan,  with  his  foul  intrigue 
And  magic  spells,  has  formed  a  monstrous  league. 
The  gods  have  set  a  mortal  in  the  front, 
'Tis  meet  we  help  him  in  the  battle's  brunt ; 
Let  all  beget  fit  warriors  for  the  wars — 
Sons  of  Gandharves,  Apsaras,  and  Kinnars — 
Spread  demi-gods  in  every  fruitful  womb, 
To  march  with  Rama  in  the  day  of  doom, 
Each  hero  an  immortal,  as  is  meet. 


THE  ^'RAMAYANA"  6i 

A  Deva  nourished  in  the  gods'  Amrit.^ 
Supernal  bears  the  leafy  shades  to  fill ; 
And  wondrous  Vanars,^  who  can  change  at  will, 
Swell  out  to  monstrous  size,  and  use  with  ease 
Mountains  for  bolts,  for  clubs  the  tallest  trees ; 
With  shouts  that  match  the  thunder  in  the  cloud, 
Resistless,  dauntless,  like  the  lion  proud ' — 
Such  the  great  apes  for  Brahma's  high  emprise, 
Their  forms  like  mountains  seemed  to  scale  the  skies. "^ 

I    may  mention  here  that  "  Ten- Headed 
Ravana  "  had  this  peculiarity  :   If  one  of  his 

^  *'  Immortels  qui  se  nourrissent  d'ambroisie  "  (Fauche- 
Adikanda,  "  Ramayana,"  XX.,  3,  4  [trans.]). 

2  Monkeys. 

^  "  Oui !  repondent  les  Dieux,  qui,  aussitot  cette 
approbation  donnee  aux  paroles  de  Brahma,  se  mettent 
a  procreer  des  fils  d'une  vigueur  egale  a  celle  qu'ils 
possedaient  eux-memes.  C'etaient  d'heroiques  singes, 
capable  de  se  metamorphoser  comme  ils  voulaient,  que 
ces  enfants  issus  des  Dieux,  des  Rishis,  des  Yakshas, 
des  Gandharvas,  des  Siddhas  et  des  Kinnaras.  Excites 
par  le  desir  d'arracher  la  vie  a  Ravana,  le  monstre  aux 
dix  tetes,  les  Dieux  firent  naitre  a  millier  ces  orangs  aux 
formes  changeantes  a  volonte,  impetueux  comme  une 
masse  de  nuees  orageuses,  a  la  force  sans  mesure,  a  la 
voix  formidable  comme  la  bruit  du  tonnerre,  avec  le 
corps  vigoureux  des  lions,  la  stature  des  elephants  ou 
meme  la  hauteur  des  montagnes"  (Fauche-Adikanda, 
"Ramayana,"  XX.  7-10). 


62  rAma  and  homer 

heads  was  knocked  off  in  battle,  it  im- 
mediately grew  again.  But  this  latter  fact 
and  the  preceding  incidents  bring  us  at  once 
to  startling  coincidences.  The  Hydra,  the 
potent  fiend  that  threatened  the  throne  of 
Zeus,  had  nine  heads,  and  these  had  a 
peculiarity  similar  to  those  of  Ravana.  They 
also  grew  again  immediately  they  were  cut 
off.  There  was  one  exception,  one  head, 
that  alone  could  be  injured  •}  The  spells  of 
Ravana,  too,  would  not  protect  him  if  he 
were  struck  in  the  navel. 

But  a  more  startling  incident  is  behind. 
The  early  mythology  of  Greece  is  based  on 
an  idea  similar  to  that  of  India.  There  was 
an  appalling  crisis  in  Heaven  which  could 
only  be  settled  by  a  mortal  hero,  a  bona  fide 
man.  Jove  was  told  by  Minerva  that  the 
Gigantes  were  not  invulnerable  if  he  called  a 
mortal  hero  to  his  assistance.  In  this  crisis 
the  Thunderer  parented  Hercules  in  the 
womb  of  Alcmena.  Euripides  tells  us  that 
Hercules  with  his  sole  arm  restored  to  the 

1  Jacobi,  "  Dictionnaire  Mythologique,"  Art.  Hydra. 


THE  ''RAMAYANA"  63 

gods  the  honours  that  men  had  filched  from 
them.      Let  us  listen  also  to  Hesold  : 

"  But  other  counsel  secret  wove 
Within  his  breast  the  sire  of  gods  and  men — 
That  both  to  gods  and  to  th'  inventive  race 
Of  man,  a  great  deHverer  might  arise 
Sprung  from  his  loins."  ^ 

As  the  story  of  Hercules  is  the  earliest 
contribution  of  the  Troy  epic  I  propose  to 
keep  it  in  view  through  this  little  sketch  of 
the  great  Indian  poem. 

I  may  mention  here  that  the  "  Ramayana" 
has  a  conspicuous  blemish.  It  has  been  much 
interpolated,  and  not  very  skilfully  interpolated, 
by  the  sect  called  Vaishnavas,  because  they 
worship  Neo  Vishnu  as  the  Supreme  God. 
This  sect  did  not  come  into  powder  until  after 
their  conflict  with  Buddhism,  from  which  they 
stole  their  vegetarianism  and  much  else. 
Owing  to  these  interpolations,  there  are  two 
clashing  accounts  of  the  birth  of  Rama  in  the 
"  Ramayana."^ 

^  Hesiod,  '^  Shield  of  Hercules." 
3  In  the  "  Mahabharata "  is  a  condensed  account  of 
Rama's  story,  and  in  it  the  hero  is  purely  human. 


64  RAmA  and  homer 

The  Vaishnavas  make  Rama  to  be  one  of 
the  incarnations  of  Vishnu,  and  they  have 
inserted  a  scene  in  which  a  mighty  giant 
appears  (Vishnu  probably  in  person)  and  he 
gives  a  magical  potion  to  Kausalya,  Rama's 
mother,  to  drink,  and  portions  of  the  magical 
liquor  to  the  other  queens.  From  this  are 
born  simultaneously  Rama  and  Lakshmana, 
and  Bharata  and  Satrughna. 

The  aswam^dha,  or  '*  horse-sacrifice,"  is 
believed  by  scholars  to  have  been  a  supersti- 
tion of  the  ancient  Scythians,  brought  with 
them  to  India  by  the  Aryans,  with  whom  for 
hundreds  of  years  it  was  the  supreme  magical 
spell.  It  was  a  rude  test  of  sovereignty. 
Like  the  scapegoat  of  the  Jews,  the  horse 
was  let  loose,  and  it  wandered  about  for  a 
whole  year  supervised  by  armies  who  used  it 
in  the  light  of  a  gauntlet  of  defiance.  With 
much  pomp  it  was  then  killed,  and  the  wives 
of  the  King  had  to  pass  the  night  by  its 
carcase.  It  was  the  profoundest  of  spells. 
Of  course,  it  was  utterly  absurd  of  the 
Vaishnavas  to  turn  Rama  into  the  Supreme 
God  when  the  whole  point  of  the    original 


THE  ''RAMAYANA"  65 

story  was  that  deliverance  could  only  come 
from  the  hand  of  a  man. 

"  From  his  infancy  Lakhsmanawas  attached 
by  strong  friendship  to  Rama,  beloved  of  all 
creatures.  His  help  was  of  great  service  to 
the  elder  brother.  The  just  and  conquering- 
Lakhsmana  was  dearer  to  Rama  than  his 
life  "  (chap.  xix.). 

Another  passage  throws  light  on  this,  and 
as,  I  think,  I  shall  show  by-and-by  on  the 
friendship  of  Agamemnon  and  Menelaus. 

"  The  anchorite  was  followed  by  these  two 
heroes,  as  the  God  of  Heaven  is  followed  by 
the  two  Asvins  "  (chap,  xxvi.,  ver.  8). 

The  Asvins  are  the  twins  of  the  Zodiac. 
The  boys  grew  quickly,  and  in  due  time  were 
handed  over  to  a  saint,  or  Rishi,  and  carried 
by  him  into  the  solitudes  of  the  forest  to  be 
taught  the  art  of  war,  which  in  those  days  had 
magic  and  spells  for  prominent  ingredients. 
The  name  of  the  Rishi  was  Visvamitra. 

Rama  went  through  a  vigil  of  six  nights — 
a  more  prolonged  vigil  than  that  of  the  old 
knights — and  he  then  received  many  potent 
arms,  "Man-dart,"  ''Fire-dart,"  "  Man-eater  '' 

5 


66  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"Ten-eyes,"  '*Go  where  it  likes,"  "  Wounding 
at  will ";  and  another  ascetic  Agastya  gave 
him  a  bow  and  magic  garments  fresh  from 
the  hands  of  Vis'vakarma,  the  Indian 
V/'ulcan.  But  one  special  weapon  was  given 
to  the  brothers,  the  famous  Brahma-siras, 
which  had  the  wind  for  fathers,  the  god 
Agni  for  points,  the  Mountain  Mandara  in 
paradise  for  weight. 

Here,  again,  we  must  call  to  mind  that 
Hercules  had  the  magical  training  of  the 
early  warrior.  Castor,  the  son  of  Tyndarus, 
taught  them  how  to  fight;  Eurytus  how  to 
shoot  with  a  bow  and  arrow  ;  Autolycus  to 
drive  a  chariot ;  Linus  to  play  on  the  lyre  ; 
Eumolpus  to  sing.  The  Centaur  Chiron 
taught  him  battle-charms. 

When  the  young  Rama  grew  up  he  learnt 
that  a  peerless  lady  was  to  be  the  prize  of  a 
great  competition  at  Mithila,  a  city  in  modern 
Tirhoot.  She  was  the  adopted  daughter  of 
King  Janaka,  and  her  name  was  Sita,  which 
means  literally  a  '*  furrow."  The  gods  of  the 
Hindus  had  each  a  symbolical  animal  for  his 
Sakti,  or  female  energy.     Siva  had  a  cow  ; 


THE  '*RAMAYANA"  67 

Brahma  had  Brahmi,  "  a  swan."  This  gives 
the  root  meaning  to  the  Greek  story  of 
Europa  and  the  story  of  Helen,  which  both 
figure  in  the  legends  of  Troy.  Sita  was  the 
name  of  the  infant  King  Janaka,  found  in  a 
furrow,  and  Sita  is  also  the  name  of  Brahmi, 
Brahma's  Sakti.  King  Janaka  found  a 
swan's  egg,  and  Mr.  Bryant^  pointed  out  long 
ago  that  Helen  was  also  thought  to  have 
been  derived  from  a  swan's  egg,  and 
that  a  fierce  controversy  raged  about  the 
spot    where    the    egg    was    found,    namely, 

But  here,  by  an  Oriental  scholar  of  impor- 
tance, my  manuscript  has  been  assailed.  It 
has  been  pointed  out  to  me  that  I  have  con- 
fused the  "  Sakti  "  (literal  "  wife  of  the  god  ") 
and  the  "  Vahan,"  the  heraldic  animal  repre- 
senting him.  Brahma's  animal,  I  have  been 
told  further,  was  not  a  swan,  but  a  goose. 
This  criticism  has  proved  of  immense  impor- 
tance to  me,  but  not  in  the  direction  suggested 
by  my  critic.  1  will  consider  the  Sakti  idea 
later  on.     A  word  about  this  goose. 

1  "  Dissertation  on  the  Trojan  War,"  p.  u. 


68  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Linnaeus  ranks  "goose"  and  "swan" 
under  the  word  aiiser,  which,  pronounced  by 
a  Frenchman,  would  sound  very  much  Hke  the 
Indian  word  for  "swan,"  kansa,  pronounced 
nasally  and  without  aspirate  by  a  Hindu. 

In  the  marsh  land,  which  was  much  more 
plentiful  than  dry  land  in  early  days,  the  swan 
ruled.  With  his  long  neck  and  a  power  to 
keep  his  head  under  water,  he  ducked  and 
suffocated  rival  birds  that  annoyed  him. 
Colonel  Moor,  the  eminent  student  of  Indian 
mythology,  opined  that  he  was  chosen  as 
the  Sakti  of  Brahma,  because  the  swamp, 
with  its  land,  indicated  the  earth,  the  mani- 
fested Kosmos,  and  with  its  water,  the  mys- 
terious "  waters  "  round  the  earth,  the  awful 
region  where  the  unmanifested  god  was 
believed  to  dwell. 

Then  we  know  that  the, sooty  petrel,  the 
barnacle  goose,  and  other  geese  that  frequent 
swamps,  have  long  necks,  and  are  mistaken 
for  swans. 

But  the  selection  of  a  swan  for  the  Vahan 
of  Brahmi  has  another  explanation. 

Says    Byron  :   "  Swans   sing  before    they 


THE  *';ramayana"  69 

die."  Brahmi  represents  music  in  the  form 
of  a  beautiful  woman.  Colonel  Moor  tells  us 
that  in  her  portraits  she  is  always  depicted 
holding  a  rude  musical  instrument,  the  Vina, 
formed  with  two  gourds.  In  Egypt  also  the 
swan  as  a  hieroglyphic  meant  music,  and  in 
Greece  the  bird  was  sacred  to  Apollo  and  the 
Muses.  Does  not  all  this  seem  to  point  to 
an  aquatic  and  musical  anser  rather  than  a 
barn-door  anser,  whose  music  is  of  doubtful 
excellence  ? 

My  critic  formed  his  conclusions  from  a 
recent  visit  to  the  monuments  of  India. 
Colonel  Moor,  who  studied  these  monu- 
ments for  forty  years,  writes  : 

''  Except  in  the  Elephanta  Cave,  I  do  not 
recollect  ever  to  have  seen  Brahma  or  his 
Sakti  attended  by  the  swan." 
.  But  it  is  fair  to  add  that  he  in  part  confirms 
my  critic.  Modern  Hindu  art  is  not  very 
happy  in  its  studies  of  birds.  Brahmi's  swan 
is  much  more  like  a  "  paddy-bird  {bhagala),'^ 
says  Colonel  Moor. 

But  here  again  we  get  a  bird  that  frequents 
swamps. 


70  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

One  other  point  remains,  because  the 
whole  of  this  is  very  important  in  our  inquiry. 
If  Brahma  was  not  the  Supreme  God  who 
parented  Sita,  what  other  Supreme  God 
could  it  have  been  ?  The  only  possible 
answer  here  is  Indra.  But  Indrani's 
"  Vahan "  is  an  elephant.  His  offspring 
could  scarcely  have  been  concealed  in  a 
furrow. 

But  wherever  she  came  from,  Sita  was  the 
sweetest  character  that  it  ever  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man  or  god  to  conceive.  Rama 
went  to  Mithila,  and  was  introduced  to  the 
King,  who  told  him  that  none  could  marry 
his  daughter  except  the  hero  who  could  bend 
a  mighty  bow,  the  bow  of  Siva. 

It  was  suggested  by  Visvamitra,  his  ^-uru, 
that  his  young  pupil  should  try  his  prowess. 
The  King  immediately  sent  for  the  bow.  It 
reposed  in  an  iron  case.  Eight  hundred 
athletes  and  eight  wheels  were  required  to 
bring  it  along. 

"  This,"  said  the  King  to  Rama,  ''  is  the 
Shining  Bow.  Many  Kings  have  tried,  but 
all  have  failed  even  to  lift  it.      I  have  ordered 


RAMA    WITH    THE    BOW    OF    STVA  (p-  70) 


THE  ''RAMAYANA^'  Jt 

it  hither,  young  Prince,  according  to  your 
wish.  Who  can  hope  to  string  it  and  shoot 
with  it !" 

Buoyed  up  by  the  wise  Visvamitra,  the 
young  sun-god  opened  the  iron  case.  A 
breathless  crowd  looked  on.  Rama  took  up 
the  bow  and  fixed  a  string  to  it.  He 
adjusted  an  arrow,  and,  using  all  his  force,  he 
bent  the  mighty  weapon.  It  snapped  with  a 
terrible  uproar.  The  spectators  fell  to  the 
ground  stunned.  It  seemed  as  if  the  thunder- 
clap of  Indra  was  reverberating  amongst  a 
thousand    hills.     The  King  was  astonished. 

"  Venerable  prophet,"  he  said  to  Vis'va- 
mitra,  *'  I  have  heard  of  the  brave  young 
Rama  ;  but  what  he  has  now  done  transcends 
mortal  strength.  I  have  promised  my 
daughter  Sita  as  a  prize  to  the  strongest. 
With  her  let  him  raise  up  a  mighty  race,  to 
be  called  the  '  Sons  of  Janaka.' " 

Swift  messengers  were  sent  to  King  Dasa- 
ratha  to  tell  him  of  Rama's  luck. 

"  King  Dasaratha  came  to  the  wedding 
accompanied  by  his  two  younger  sons.  It 
was  arranged  that  the   marriage  should   be 


72  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

quadruple.  A  sister  of  Sita  was  given  to 
Lakshmana,  and  two  nieces  of  Janaka  were 
betrothed  to  the  other  brothers. 

"And  now  in  the  'place  of  sacrifice,'  in 
a  leafy  cathedral  perhaps,  with  its  twelve 
huge,  unhewn  columns,  the  four  moon-faced, 
large-eyed  brides  came  tinkling  along  with 
their  leg-bangles,  and  mincing  in  their  gait 
like  the  daughters  of  Zion  who  irritated  the 
prophet  Isaiah.  Their  clear  brown  skins 
contrast  with  their  cloudy  muslins.  Their 
jewels,  it  is  said,  made  them  sparkle  like 
dancing  flames.  The  sons  of  King  Dasaratha 
were  also  bravely  decked.  Brahmins  muttered 
their  incantations  and  chanted  their  hymns. 
The  offerings  smoked  up  in  the  clear  air. 
Each  Prince  advanced  and  gave  his  hand  to 
his  bride.  The  four  couples  then  marched 
round  the  flaming  altar  with  measured  steps. 
Three  times  this  rite  was  repeated.  A 
prodigy  crowned  the  feast.  Flowers  not 
grown  in  earthly  gardens  were  showered 
upon  the  young  couples,  and  the  soft  strains 
of  the  Gandharvas  gave  the  mortals  present 
a  taste  of  heavenly  minstrelsy." 


THE  "RAMAYANA"  ^^ 

There  is  a  calm  here,  and  the  author 
seems  optimistic  and  petty  ;  but  he  never 
loses  sight  of  the  fact  that  he  has  a  very 
serious  story  to  relate,  and  he  strikes  a  deep 
note  very  early.  The  flatteries  and  bridal 
splendours  of  Mithila  are  as  bubbles  above 
very  deep  waters.  It  is  a  battle  between 
good  spirits  and  evil  spirits.  He  invents 
names,  he  invents  details,  but  it  is  a  real 
battle  which  he  believes  to  be  going  on 
under  his  eyes. 

After  the  wedding,  King  Dasaratha  starts 
to  return  to  his  capital  accompanied  by 
Vasishtha,  but  it  is  recorded  that  "  the  birds, 
heralds  of  calamity,  seemed  all  to  fly  to  his 
left  hand." 

"  Why,  O  teacher,"  said  the  monarch 
alarmed,  '*do  I  see  this  prodigy,  and  why  is 
my  pulse  fluttered  and  quickened  ?" 

The  hermit  Vasishtha  pointed  out  that  the 
stags  and  hinds  had  skipped  about  to  the 
right  of  the  travellers. 

But  the  monarch's  pulse  was  destined  to 
be  more  fluttered  still. 

Suddenly    a    strong    wind     arose    which 


74  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

whirled  the  dust  into  strange  shapes  and 
darkened  the  welkin. 

The  sun  lost  its  heart,  the  universe  was 
soon  a  mass  of  fine  powder.  The  bodyguard 
of  the  King  was  beside  themselves  with  fear. 

This  was  another  bad  presage  for  the 
story  of  the  poor  bride  Sita,  one  of  the  most 
pathetic  stories  that  ever  was  told. 

But  we  must  now  return  to  King  Dasaratha. 

"  Perhaps  the  worst  evils  of  polygamy  are 
the  cruel  rivalries  of  the  palace.  Each  queen 
strives  to  get  her  son  nominated  heir  to  the 
royal  umbrella.  To  effect  this,  the  murder 
or  mutilation  of  his  rivals  is  considered  quite 
lawful.  And  the  interests  even  of  the  father 
are  made  quite  secondary  to  those  of  the  boy. 
When  the  English  Government  got  into 
difficulties  with  Shere  All  of  Afghanistan,  it 
is  no  secret  in  diplomatic  circles  that  one  of 
his  queens  volunteered  to  murder  him  if  the 
succession  were  secured  by  the  English 
Government  to  her  son.  A  zenana  is  of 
necessity  a  divided  house,  and  a  state  ruled 
from  the  zenana  a  divided  kingdom. 

''  The  poet  of    Ramayana    has   based  the 


THE  *'RAMAYANA"  75 

dramatic  interest  of  his  story  on  these  truths. 
It  was  the  misfortune  of  King  Dasaratha 
that  his  favourite  son  was  not  the  offspring 
of  his  favourite  queen.  This  was  the  hidden 
calamity  that  made  the  birds  of  the  air  fly  to 
the  left,  and  the  dust  whirl  in  darkening 
circles  about  the  skies. 

*'  One  of  the  brown-skinned,  large-eyed 
queens  of  King  Dasaratha  was  named 
Kaikeyi.  She  was  beautiful  and  attractive, 
silly  and  jealous.  This  jealousy  was  fanned 
by  a  malicious  female  slave.  She  accosted 
her  mistress  one  day.  '  Awake,  O  foolish 
queen.  See  you  not  that  you  are  lost  ? 
Rama  is  pronounced  the  heir  of  the  King.' 
Outside,  the  city  streets  were  noisy  with 
preparations  for  the  coming  consecration. 

''  '  What  is  ithe  meaning  of  these  words, 
Manthara  ?'  said  the  queen,  with  much 
surprise. 

*'  '  You  are  nursing  a  serpent,'  said  the 
slave,  'and  a  serpent  stings.  See  you  not 
that  the  rise  of  Prince  Rama  means  the  dis- 
grace and  ruin  of  your  son,  Prince  Bharata. 
The    king     has    befooled    you    with    sterile 


76  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

blandishments  and  empty  dreams,  and  will 
now  give  you  a  prison  for  a  portion !' 
With  speeches  like  these  the  jealousy  of 
pretty  and  silly  Queen  Kaikeyi  was  fanned. 
The  slave  pointed  out  also  a  substantial 
danger  that  exists  in  all  Indian  courts. 
When  a  young  prince  comes  to  the  throne, 
he  banishes  or  assassinates  his  younger 
brothers. 

''  Queen  Kaikeyi  was  soon  beside  herself 
with  rage  and  fear.  '  What  is  to  be 
done  ?'  she  said,  with  breathless  excite- 
ment. 

''  '  Do  you  not  remember,  O  queen,  a 
promise  of  the  king?  In  ancient  days, 
when  he  came  back  wounded  from  a  war, 
you  tended  and  cured  him.  His  Majesty 
then  pronounced  these  words,  "  Ask  me  a 
boon — two  boons — and  I  will  grant  them  !" 
That  promise  has  not  yet  been  fulfilled. 
Demand  that  Bharata  shall  be  consecrated 
as  heir  to  the  throne,  and  Rama  banished 
to  a  desolate  forest !' 

"  The  boldness  of  this  proposal  took  the 
queen    by    surprise.      But    the    persevering 


THE  "  rAMAYANA  "  77 

slave  was  not  to  be  balked.     She  arranged 
a  clever  comedy  for  the  ill-fated  king. 

*'  In  the  women's  apartments  of  an  ancient 
Indian  palace  was    a   Chamber    of  Pouting. 
If  any  queen  grew  out  of  temper  or  jealous, 
this   chamber   was   always  ready  to    receive 
her  whilst  the  fit  lasted.      By  the  advice  of 
the   slave,    Queen    Kaikeyi   prepared    what 
modern    husbands    call    a    '  scene '    in    the 
palace    of   Ayodhya.      King    Dasaratha  was 
summoned  thither  in   hot    haste,  and  what 
did  he  see  ?     His  favourite  wife,  the  lovely 
Kaikeyi,    lying    on    the    bare    ground,    and 
weeping  scalding  tears.     Her  splendid  tiara 
of  pearls  and  diamonds  was  flung  at  her  feet. 
Her    glittering    ankle-bangles    and    armlets 
were    also    scattered    around.      Silks    were 
tossed    hither   and    thither,    and    the    rarest 
muslins.     The  pretty  nails  of  the  queen  were 
no   longer   anointed   with    rare    unguents   of 
sandal-powder.     The  fine  artistic  touches  of 
kohl  that  were  wont  to  make  her  eyes  sparkle 
like  the  eyes  of  a  nymph  of  Indra,  were  now 
blurred  with  salt  tears.    The  monarch,  seeing 
the  queen  that  he  loved  dearer  than  his  life 


78  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

in  this  pitiable  condition,  sought  to  comfort 
her,  as  a  noble  beast  when  his  consort  in 
the  forest  is  smitten  with  a  poisoned 
arrow. 

'' '  I  know  not,  dear  queen,'  he  said,  '  the 
cause  of  this  anger  that  you  show  me.  Who 
has  outraged  you,  that  you  lie  thus  in  the 
dust  on  the  ground  ?  If  there  is  an  enemy 
to  punish,  a  wrong  to  be  righted,  a  poor  man 
to  be  made  rich,  if  you  want  more  pearls, 
diamonds,  emeralds,  tell  me,  O  woman  of 
the  heavenly  smile.  I  am  the  king  of 
kings.  Name  but  your  wish,  and  it  is 
granted.' 

''  '  No  one  has  insulted  me  or  vilified  me,' 
said  the  queen,  '  but  in  old  days  you  made 
me  two  promises.  Those  promises  I  now 
wish  to  see  fulfilled.' 

'*  *  They  are  granted,'  replied  the  monarch. 
*  With  the  exception  of  Prince  Rama,  you 
are  all  that  is  dear  to  me  in  the  world.  Ask 
what  you  wish,  and  the  boon  is  granted.  I 
swear  this  on  the  integrity  of  all  my  past 
acts.' 

"  *  When  a  king  swears  before  Indra  and 


THE  '^rAmAYANA"  79 

the  heavenly  hosts,'  said  the  queen,  ^  before 
the  Gandharvas  and  the  spirits  that  watch 
over  the  homes  of  us  all,  we  may  be  sure  that 
he  will  keep  his  word.  In  lieu  of  Rama, 
consecrate  my  son  Bharata,  and  banish  Rama 
for  fourteen  years  to  the  forests.' 

'"Oh,  infamous  fancy!'  said  the  king  in 
his  horror  ;  and,  torn  between  his  love  for 
Rama  and  his  integrity,  he  fell  senseless  upon 
the  cold  ground.  When  he  recovered,  his 
remorseless  wife  was  still  at  his  side.  He 
stormed  at  her,  he  railed,  he  entreated,  he 
flung  himself  at  her  feet,  and  prayed  her  to 
withdraw  her  ungenerous  demand.  'If  for 
a  moment  I  were  deprived  of  the  sight  of 
my  dear  son  Rama,  my  mind  would  not  bear 
the  shock.  The  world  would  be  without  its 
base,  the  grass  without  rain,  my  body  without 
the  breath  of  life  !' 

*'  '  Once  you  were  celebrated  amongst  just 
men  as  a  man  of  truth,  a  man  of  integrity,' 
answered  the  queen.  '  You  promise,  and 
now  you  refuse.' 

'* '  The  banishment  of  Rama,  O  ignoble 
woman,  means  my  death.'     And  the  painful 


8o  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

reflection  came  into  the  king's  mind  that 
his  memory  would  for  ever  be  execrated  as 
the  dotard  slave  of  a  vain  woman  and  the 
slaughterer  of  his  son.  And  when,  thought 
he,  the  holy  masters  call  me  to  a  solemn 
account,  and  say  :  Where  is  Rama  ?  What 
shall  I  say  ?' 

''  'You  speak  as  if  I  were  the  malefactor,' 
said  the  queen,  with  persistent  cruelty. 
'  What  fault  have  I  done  ?  The  promise 
came  from  you,  not  me.' 

"  Thus,  through  a  painful  night,  the  poor 
king  fretted  in  'chains  of  fraud.'  At  times 
he  flung  himself  at  her  feet,  and  tried  senile 
blandishments  and  flatteries  :  '  Save  a  poor 
old  man  whose  mind  is  getting  unhinged. 
Sweet  Kaikeyi  of  the  gentle  smile,  take  my 
life,  my  kingdom,  my  treasure,  everything  but 
Rama  !     Spare  me  !  save  me  !' 

"  The  poet  records  that  once  a  king,  having 
promised  to  save  a  fluttering  dove  that  flew 
for  protection  to  his  bosom,  engaged  himself 
to  give  the  pursuing  hunter  any  other  boon. 
'  Cut  out  your  heart,'  said  the  hunter.  The 
king    complied.       Our    poor,    loving,    senile 


THE  ''RAMAYANA"  8i 

old  dotard  has  much  now  in   common  with 
that  afflicted  monarch. 

*'  Morn  came,  but  it  brought  no  solace.  The 
king's  charioteer,  who  was  poet-laureate  as 
well  as  coachman,  woke  him  up  with  a 
madrigal.  Outside  were  courtiers  and  citizens 
in  gala  dress.  They  were  collected  to  see 
the  consecration  of  Rama. 

''The  king  sent  for  his  son. 

"  Forth  drove  the  charioteer  to  the  palace 
of  the  prince.  Rama,  summoned,  started  after 
exchanging  a  bridegroom's  farewell  with  Sita 
at  the  doorway.  Strong  demonstrations  from 
the  citizens  greeted  him  in  the  streets.  The 
populace  idolized  him.  In  his  father's  palace 
he  found  the  king  with  Kaikeyi.  The 
piteous  condition  of  the  former  quite  startled 
him.  The  poor  old  king  could  only  just 
articulate  the  words,  '  Oh,  Rama !'  and  burst 
into  a  convulsion  of  sobs.  Rama  demanded 
of  Kaikeyi  the  meaning  of  the  king's  grief. 
She  told  him  bluntly  the  history  of  the 
promise  and  her  choice — 

"'My  son   Bharata  is  to  be  consecrated, 

6 


82  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

and  you  will  be  banished  to  the  forests  for 
fourteen  years.' 

**  *  If  it  makes  my  father  any  happier,  I  am 
ready  to  go,'  said  the  prince  simply. 

"  Soon  the  terrible  news  that  the  Prince  was 
to  be  banished  spread  through  the  palace. 
Kausalya  heard  it.  The  brothers  heard  it. 
All  were  in  consternation.  A  trial  greater 
than  the  long  banishment  was  the  task  of 
breaking  the  painful  intelligence  to  poor 
Sita.  Rama  told  her  what  had  occurred. 
He  exhorted  her  to  bear  his  absence  bravely, 
and  comfort  his  mother.  This  was  the 
answer  of  Princess  Sita — 

"  *  Brave  Prince,  in  mortal  life 
Men  singly  battle ;  good  and  evil  deeds 
Are  theirs ; 
And  each  man  reaps  the  harvest  of  his  acts, 
His  own  and  not  another's. 
But  woman  clings  to  man, 
For  she  is  weak ; 
His  lot  is  hers,  and  wheresoe'er  he  goes, 
In  briary  paths  or  weary  tanglements 

She  follows  gladly. 
By  my  great  love  I  swear  that  reft  of  thee. 
Protector,  Master,  Refuge,  Patron  Saint, 


THE  "RAMAYANA"  83 

E'en  Brahma's  heaven,  were  dull. 

Fathers  and  mothers  eke, 
Beloved  sons  and  daughters,  what  are  they  ? 
A  wedded  spouse  lives  only  in  her  lord. 

Blind  malice  plots  and  wounds, 

Laugh  at  her  wiles,  sweet  Prince, 
The  shining  towers  of  golden  battlements, 

Halls  hung  with  silks  galore, 

Couches  and  odours  sweet — 
These,  without  thee,  were  as  a  desert  waste. 

In  paths  of  banishment 

I  hang  around  thy  feet — 

Thy  weary  feet — dear  spouse  ; 
And  the  rude  home  of  tiger,  snake,  and  pard. 
The  thorns,  the  stony  steep,  the  cataract 
That  bellows  with  the  water  of  the  storm, 
And  e'en  the  realms  of  anguish  mortals  feign, 
As  the  grim  goal  of  earthly  infamies — 

These  by  thy  side  were  bliss. 

Thou  art  my  universe ; 
'    Thou  art  the  form  benign. 

That  speaks  to  me  of  heaven, 

That  speaks  to  me  of  love. 
In  wildernesses  dank  our  holy  men, 

Clad  in  the  bark  of  trees, 

Dream  holy  dreams  of  God  : 
Thus  will  we  live,  and  I  will  deck  my  spouse 
With  chaplets  plundered  in  the  hidden  dells.' 

"  Rama  remonstrates,  and  points  out  how 
little  the  silken   days   of  her  past  life  have 


84  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

fitted  her  for  the  terrible  ordeal  of  the  yogi  in 
the  forest.  His  other  friends  try  to  dissuade 
her.  The  spectacle  of  this  old-world,  brown- 
limbed,  bold-hearted  young  woman,  this  high 
ideal  of  wifehood  at  the  date  of  the  poem,  is 
quite  extraordinary. 

"  A  crowd  of  citizens  accompany  the  poor 
exiles  as  they  are  driven  by  the  faithful  poet- 
charioteer  out  of  Ayodhya.  Rama  is  the 
idol  of  the  populace.  Lakshmana  has  ob- 
tained leave  to  bear  him  company.  The 
fond  old  king  went  out  for  a  short  dis- 
tance with  his  son.  He  then  watched  him, 
departing  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  Rama's 
mother  tried  to  comfort  him  in  the  palace. 
'  Rama  is  gone,'  said  the  king.  '  Some 
men  are  happy,  for  they  will  one  day  see 
him  return.  Not  so  his  father.  Touch  me, 
Kausalya ;  I  see  you  not.'  The  eyesight 
of  the  afflicted  monarch  had  departed  with 
his  son." 

Again  we  pause.  If  we  nickname  Dasa- 
ratha,  Jupiter — and  Kaikeyi,  Juno,  we  get 
a  startling  string  of  coincidences.  Can 
they  all  be  perfectly  accidental  ?     A  mighty 


THE  ''RAmAyANA"  85 

war  is  raging  between  the  powers  of  good 
and  evil.  Owing  to  some  strange  freak  of 
the  great  Destiny  which  was  beHeved  in 
Greece,  as  elsewhere,  to  override  even  the 
gods,  a  mortal  champion  was  wanted  to 
secure  the  victory.  Everything  had  been 
carefully  planned  out.  Jupiter  himself  had 
gone  down  to  Alcmena  s  bed  to  parent  this 
unique  hero.  In  the  meantime  all  had  been 
prepared  as  in  India  for  the  great  battle. 
Mars  the  god  of  war,  Neptune,  Minerva, 
Athene,  were  ready  for  the  struggle,  and 
many  enchanters,  giants,  and  "  hundred- 
handers."  Then  omniscient  and  all-wise 
Jove  was  tricked  by  a  silly  quibble.  He  had 
announced  in  heaven  that  the  great  hero 
would  be  born  on  a  certain  day.  Juno,  his 
wife,  persuaded  him  to  swear  this  on  the 
water  of  the  Styx — an  inconceivable  trans- 
action when  viewed  on  either  side.  Then 
by  the  aid  of  Lucina,  the  goddess,  who  pre- 
sides at  child-birth,  Juno  retarded  the  birth 
of  Hercules,  and  produced  a  seven  months' 
child  Eurystheus,  the  son  of  Sthenelus,  King 
of  Argos,   on   the  day   on  which  Jove    had 


86  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

promised  the  birth  of  a  hero  with  absolute 
power.  Juno  interprets  this  to  mean  that 
the  absolute  power  is  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Eurystheus.  Jupiter  accedes  to  this  gross 
absurdity. 

Now  let  us  put  the  two  stories  side  by 
side  : 

1.  In  India  the  Champions  of  Right  in 
their  great  struggle  against  the  Cohorts  of 
Evil  are  taught  to  rely  on  a  mortal  champion. 
A  similar  idea  occurs  in  Greece. 

2.  The  champion  is  born  in  India  by  the 
special  supervision  of  Brahma  and  the  gods. 
In  Greece  he  has  for  sire  the  King  of  Heaven 
himself. 

3.  A  light  oath  given  to  a  pretty  woman 
years  before  is  brought  up  in  India,  an  in- 
comprehensible promise  is  fabricated  in 
Greece. 

4.  The  motive  of  the  two  women  is  the 
same.  Rama  must  live  for  fourteen  years 
amongst  the  wild  beasts  and  fevers  of  an 
Indian  jungle.  Hercules  must  execute  every 
dangerous  enterprise  that  a  hostile  task- 
master    can     conceive     for     twelve     years. 


1 

'HE 

''  RAMAYAN A  " 

87 

The     death 

of 

each 

warrior 

is 

plainly 

sought. 

This  blindness  seemed  doubly  calamitous 
to  the  old  King,  for  he  looked  upon  it  as 
a  visitation.  Years  before,  when  he  was 
hunting  in  the  forest,  he  approached  in  the 
gloaming  a  river  where  the  deer  and  the 
buffaloes  were  accustomed  to  feed.  Suddenly 
he  heard  a  gurgling  sound.  Believing  that 
some  large  animal  was  drinking,  he  let  fly 
an  arrow,  and  to  his  surprise  heard  a  piercing 
shriek.  He  ran  up  and  found  a  little  boy 
writhing  upon  the  ground.  A  broken  water- 
jug  was  by  his  side. 

"  Oh,  what  merciless  archer  has  done 
this.^"  cried  the  litde  fellow.  "My  father 
and  my  mother  are  both  blind  and  helpless. 
I  alone  can  fetch  them  water  and  food.  Now 
they  will  starve.  Why  is  this  ?  What  have 
I  done  that  I  should  receive  this  cruel  bolt  ? 
I  had  come  to  the  river  to  get  them  water." 

The  face  of  the  poor  little  boy  was  blurred 
with  blood  and  tears.  The  King  tried  to 
comfort  him,  but  he  repeated  : 

'*  I  alone  can  fetch  them  water  and  food. 


88  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Now  they  will  starve.  Now  they  will 
starve." 

Soon  the  poor  boy  became  insensible  from 
loss  of  blood,  and  gave  up  the  ghost.  The 
King  went  round  in  search  of  the  parents, 
and  found  them  peevishly  lamenting  his  long 
absence. 

"  Oh,  where  is  our  water  ?  We  are  so 
thirsty.     Where  is  our  food  ?" 

The  King  told  them  what  had  happened, 
and  the  old  man  was  furious. 

*'  Before  you  die,  O  Prince,  you  will  lose 
your  son  in  a  forest,  and  you  will  become 
blind  ;  mark  my  words." 

A  word  here  about  Hercules  and  Dejanira. 
Like  Rama,  he  conquered  a  beautiful  wife  at 
a  Swayamvara  by  defeating  all  the  other 
competitors.  This  was  at  the  Court  of  King 
^neus  at  Calydon.  Then  by  a  fateful 
accident  he  unwittingly  slaughtered  Eunomus 
with  a  blow  of  his  fist.  This  preyed  so  on 
his  mind  that  he  and  Dejanira  fled  from 
Calydon.  Again  we  have  strange  similarities. 
Rama  and  Sita  are  driven  into  the  jungle 
through   a  fateful  arrow,  which  accidentally 


THE  ''RAMAYANA"  89 

causes  death.     Hercules  and  his  wife  are  also 
exiled  through  a  similar  unwitting  calamity/ 

^  This  gives  Baladeva,  the  Indian  Hercules.  He  has 
in  his  hair  the  balaband,  or  "fillet,"  that  Rajpoots  to 
this  day  are  proud  of — the  diadem  of  the  Greeks.  He 
has  on  his  right  arm  the  skin  of  a  lion  [Bagajiibra),  and 
in  his  left  hand  a  club,  adjoining  which  is  a  "monogram 
of  two  letters  of  an  ancient  and  undecipherable  character 
found  on  monumental  rocks  and  pillars  wherever  the 
Pandus  colonized." 

Colonel  Tod  considers  all  this — 

1.  To  "confirm  Arrian,  who,  two  thousand  years  ago, 
drew  a  parallel  between  the  costume  and  attributes  of  the 
Greek  and  Indian  Hercules." 

2.  The  strange  monogram  proves  the  antiquity  of 
Indian  gem-cutting,  and  the  gem  proves  the  antiquity  of 
the  Indian  Hercules  (/our?tal  Royal  Asiatic  Society^ 
vol.  iii.). 


CHAPTER  V 

STORY    OF    RAMA    CONTINUED 

In  the  Forest, 

The  first  halt  of  the  exiles  was  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tamasa.  Here  was  a  thick  wood,  and 
Rama  and  Sita  slept  under  a  tree  on  a  litter 
of  leaves.  Each  wore  the  apron  of  bark  tied 
with  a  cord  round  the  waist. 

Rama  escaped  furtively  next  day  from  the 
banks  of  the  Tamasa,  for  the  citizens  still 
hung  on  his  track.  He  made  his  way  to  the 
Gomati  (now  the  Goomtee),  and  by-and-by 
reached  the  Ganges  at  Sringavera,  in  the 
district  of  Allahabad.  The  poet-charioteer 
was  here  dismissed  with  a  loving  message  to 
the  old  King.  He  was  enjoined  to  be  kind 
to  Kaikeyi,  and  to  forgive  her.  They  then 
reached  the  hermitage  of  the  holy  saint 
Bharadwaja,  at  the  junction   of  the   Jumna 

90 


THE  STORY  OF  rAMA  91 

and  Ganges.  At  this  very  sacred  spot  is 
the  modern  Allahabad.  By  the  advice  of 
the  sage  they  took  up  their  quarters  on  the 
hill  of  Chitra  Ktlta,  which  is  about  two 
days'  march  from  Allahabad,  and  situate  on 
the  River  Pisuni.  The  holy  hill  of  Chitra 
Ktita  is  now  to  the  followers  of  Rama  what 
the  Lion  Hill  of  Gaya  is  to  Buddhists. 

''  How  many  centuries  have  passed,"  says 
Professor  Monier  Williams,  *'  since  the  two 
brothers  began  their  memorable  journey,  and 
yet  every  step  of  it  is  known  and  traversed 
annually  by  thousands  of  pilgrims  !  Strong, 
indeed,  are  the  ties  of  religion  when  entwined 
with  the  legends  of  a  country.  Those  who 
have  followed  the  path  of  Rama  from  the 
Gogra  to  Ceylon  stand  out  as  marked  men 
amongst  their  countrymen.  It  is  this  that 
gives  the  '  Ramayana '  a  strange  interest  ; 
the  story  still  lives,  whereas  no  one  now  in 
any  part  of  the  world  puts  faith  in  the 
legends  of  Homer." ^ 

''It  is  added  that  every  cavern  and  rock 
round   Chitra    Kuta    is    connected  with   the 
^  Lillie,  '  Buddhism  in  Christendom,"  p.  316. 


92  rAma  and  homer 

names  of  the  exiles.  The  heights  swarm  with 
monkeys.  The  edible  wild  fruits  are  called 
'  Sita-phal.'-^  Valmiki,  the  author,  lived  here, 
and  he  has  given  his  poems  local  colour. 

''To  cross  the  holy  Yamunsi  (or  Jumna)  a 
raft  was  made  by  the  brothers  of  logs  and 
bamboos.  Sita  trembled  at  the  sight  of  the 
gurgling  current,  and  Rama  held  her  in  his 
strong  embrace.  Near  the  banks  where  they 
landed  was  a  holy  fig-tree  (Syama).  '  Having 
adored  that  sacred  tree,  Sita  thus  prayed  to 
it  with  pious  reverence  :  "  May  my  stepfather 
live  for  a  long  time,  lord  of  Kosala.  May 
my  husband  live  a  long  time,  Bharata,  and 
my  other  kinsmen.  And  may  I  see  once 
more  Kaus'alya  living !"  With  these  words 
uttered  near  the  tree,  Sita  prayed  to  the  holy 
fig-tree,  which  is  never  invoked  in  vain  ;  and, 
having  duly  worshipped  it  by  tripping  round 
it  from  the  right-hand  side,  the  three  exiles 
went  on  their  way.'  "  ^ 

I  must  mention  here  that  there  is  a  promi- 
nent distinction  noticeable  in  the  Indian  epic 

1  "Indian  Epic  Poetry,"  p.  69. 
"  Ayodhya  Kanda,"  cap.  Iv. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  93 

when  we  compare  it  with  the  Greek  com- 
positions. It  is  that  in  the  "  Ramayana " 
every  god,  every  demon,  every  King,  every 
soldier,  every  priest,  and  also  every  saint,  is  a 
student  of  magic.  The  details  of  the  magical 
training  of  the  Hindus  are  tolerably  well 
known.  To  obtain  superhuman  powers  a 
man  must  leave  his  ordinary  business  of  life 
and  become  a  Vanaprastha — a  word  that 
means  an  ascetic  who  retires  to  the  solitude 
of  the  jungle  to  obtain  visions  and  super- 
human potencies.  There  he  must  sit  patiently 
under  a  tree,  like  Buddha,  "  suppressing  his 
breath,"  and  going  through  other  details  of 
training  for  years,  or,  as  the  Indian  books, 
with  Indian  exaggeration,  put  it,  for  hundreds 
of  years.  First  there  will  come  to  him,  he  is 
told,  visions  of  divine 'beings.  And  then  he 
is  promised  other  powers.  He  may  make 
himself  invisible  ;  he  may  rise  in  the  air ;  he 
may  be  able  to  swell  out  to  an  enormous  size 
or  to  contract  himself  indefinitely ;  he  may 
read  thoughts  and  tell  the  future. 

To   understand  the  "Ramayana"  all  this 
must  be  kept  in  view.     To  ordinary  English 


94  RAMA  and  homer 

intelligence  Valmtki  must  seem  quite  silly- 
when  he  tells  us  that  an  omnipotent  and 
supreme  god  like  Indra  could  be  overturned 
by  another  god,  Siva — or,  worse,  by  a  mere 
mortal  like  Ravana — simply  because  the  de- 
throning being  had  practised  more  "austeri- 
ties," ''  treasures  of  mortification,"  etc. 

And  the  r61e  of  Brahma  in  the  epic  must 
be  equally  incomprehensible.  If  his  one 
object,  and  the  chief  object  of  the  heavenly 
hosts,  was  to  overthrow  Ravana,  why  did  he 
give  a  spell  to  him,  and  pet  Indrajit,  and 
give  him  a  title  of  honour  ?  Plainly  the 
Indians  held  that  there  was  a  vague  some- 
thing above  the  gods. 

Ezekiel  describes  the  women  weeping  for 
the  god  Tammuz.  This  is  the  lament  of  the 
women  of  Ayodhya  for  the  god  Rama.  It 
has  echoed  in  India  for  perhaps  3,000  years. 

"THE  LAMENT  OF  THE  WOMEN." 

"  Weep,  husbands  weep. 
For  what  are  homes  and  wives  and  riches  now 
W^ith  Rama  fled  ? 
Afar  the  forests  smile, 
The  brake  with  dainty  flowers, 
The  lotus-covered  mere, 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  95 

The  trees  that  climb  the  mountain,  hiding  fruits 

And  honey,  Rama's  food. 
Blessed  rocks  and  thicket  tangles  ye  that  hold 

The  gentle  Lord  of  Worlds, 
The  Owner  of  the  Mountains,  and  the  Prop, 

The  Champion  of  the  Right. 

Days  follow  weary  days, 

Each  brings  its  guerdon  sad  ; 
Our  sons  grow  up  within  our  rayless  homes 

Our  homes  bereft  of  hope, 

And  full  of  woman's  tears. 

Fraud  reigns,  the  wicked  Queen 

Yokes  us  like  weary  beasts  ; 

Soon  the  blind  King  will  die. 

O  Rama,  come  again  ! 

The  shadow  of  his  feet 
Worship  ye  men,  ye  women  bow  your  heads, 

To  Sita,  blameless  wife  !" 

"The  fugitives  slept  that  night  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  and  sped  next  morning  through 
the  forest. 

'*  *  See,'  said  Rama  to  his  wife,  '  the 
kinsuka  with  flowers  that  shine  like  flames 
of  fire.  See  the  pippula  and  the  champaka. 
We  have  reached  Chitra  K6ta,  and  can  live 
on  fruits.  The  bees  hum  around  and  offer 
us  their  honey.  Cuckoos  sing  to  the  pea- 
cocks. Here,  O  woman  of  the  dainty  waist, 
is  joy  for  man  and  brute  !' 


96  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"  The  brothers  immediately  set  to  work  and 
constructed  a  rude  hut  for  Sita.  It  was  made 
of  supple  boughs  broken  down  by  the  wild 
elephants  and  covered  with  leaves.  This 
rude  hut,  the  pansil,  is  very  prominent  in 
Buddhism. 

"  When  the  hut  was  completed,  Rama  sent 
Lakshmana  to  slaughter  a  stag  with  his  bow. 
A  rude  altar  was  erected.  Rama  bathed  to 
purify  himself.  The  carcase  of  the  stag  was 
placed  on  the  holy  fire,  and  the  proper  in- 
cantations were  recited.  Offerings  were  then 
made  to  the  dead  ancestors.  In  this  way  the 
new  domicile  received  the  protection  of  the 
unseen  intelligences.  Portions  of  the  deer 
were  then  eaten  by  the  two  brothers  ;  and 
then  the  woman,  Hindu  fashion,  contented 
herself  with  the  broken  victuals.  Thus  com- 
menced their  life  in  the  green  woods  of 
Chitra  Kuta.  Round  the  rude  huts  the 
flowers  clustered  and  the  birds  sang. 

"  Meanwhile  the  charioteer  returned  to  the 
palace  and  announced  that  Rama  had  crossed 
the  Ganges.  The  news  was  too  much  for 
the  blind  old  king. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  97 

"  *  Touch  me,  queen,'  he  said  to  Rama's 
mother.  '  Touch  me,  and  I  shall  know  you 
are  there.  If  this  hand  were  the  hand  of 
Rama,  perhaps  it  would  heal  a  malady  that 
nothing  else  can  cure.  In  fourteen  years 
you  will  see  him  return  with  the  mystic  ear- 
rings. Like  an  old  torch,  my  life  is  burning 
low !'  That  night  he  died,  and  his  body 
was  embalmed,  to  delay  his  cremation  until 
Rama's  return. 

"  On  the  death  of  the  king,  Bharata  was 
summoned  to  reign  in  his  place  ;  but  instead 
of  being  pleased  with  the  machinations  of 
his  mother,  he  stormed  and  raved.  He 
refused  to  accept  the  crown,  and  started  off 
with  an  army  of  four  corps — infantry,  horse- 
men, chariots,  and  elephants  —  to  bring 
Rama  back.  They  stayed  one  night  at 
the  hermitage  of  Bharadvaja,  and  that  great 
adept,  by  the  power  of  his  magic,  was  able 
to  regale  them  all  with  flesh  meat  and  wine. 

"  The  necessity  of  a  rigid  observance  of  a 
promise,  no  matter  what  the  consequences, 
is,  perhaps,  the  noblest  teaching  of  this  fine 
old-world    song.      Rama,   summoned    to   the 

7 


98  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

throne,  refuses  proudly  :  '  Have  I  not 
pledged  my  word/  he  answers,  '  to  the  dead 
king,  to  remain  fourteen  years  in  the 
forest  ?'  " 

But  now  adventures  begin  to  crowd.  The 
brothers  reach  the  celebrated  Dandaka  forest, 
then  spread  all  over  Central  India  : 

"  In  that  same  wood  of  dire  and  awful  fame 
Moved  a  foul  fiend,  Surpanakha  by  name ; 
Foul  Ravan's  sister,  his  domains  she  trod, 
And  tricked  the  hermits  from  their  dreams  of  God. 
Her  bloodshot  eyes  possessed  a  tortuous  stare — 
Much  streaked  her  skin,  and  copper-hued  her  hair ; 
In  hideous  folds  her  pendant  cheeks  did  bag  : 
A  gross,  incredible,  ungainly  hag. 
But  she  could  change  her  shape  by  arts  unmeet, 
And  charm  the  hermits  with  love's  counterfeit, 
Reducing  for  the  nonce  her  monstrous  waist, 
Pregnant  with  murder  and  with  schemes  unchaste. 
She  and  her  brother  Khara  ruled  the  wood ; 
Men  were  her  meat,  her  drink  was  human  blood." 

Now  Surpanakha  "  chanced  to  see  the 
splendid  figure  of  Rama  in  the  green  wood. 
His  arms  were  long.  His  brow  flashed  with 
a  heavenly  shimmer.  His  eye  beamed  like 
the  lotus.  His  limbs  were  the  limbs  of 
Kandarpa,  the  Indian  cupid." 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  99 

The  feeling  that  she  called  her  love  was 
excited ;  and  changing  her  form  to  that  of  a 
young  and  very  beautiful  woman,  she  accosted 
him  : 

'''Who  art  thou  with  the  matted  hair? 
.  .  .  Thou  bearest  a  bow  and  a  quiver. 
Why  hast  thou  sought  these  woods  ?' 

"  '  I  am  Rama,  the  son  of  Dasaratha,'  said 
the  Prince. 

"  '  I  love  thee/  said  the  demon.  '  My 
power  is  immense.  It  can  transport  thee 
to  distant  steep,  to  hidden  flowery  dells.  Fly 
with  me,  and  taste  joys  unknown  to  mortals.' 
"  '  I  have  a  wife  already,' "  said  Rama  in 
great  disdain."  This  speech  turned  Surpa- 
nakha  at  once  into  a  bitter  foe. 

I  said  in  my  preliminary  chapter  that  in  my 
view  the  real  forces  battling  in  the  "  Rama- 
yana"  were  the  Aryan  Brahmins  opposed 
to  Siva-Durga.  This  theory  seems  to  be 
confirmed  at  every  turn.  What  were  the 
frightful  wickednesses  imputed  to  Ravana 
and  his  crew  ?  They  interrupted  the 
Brahmins  in  their  sacrifices — that  is,  they 
were  hostile  to  Brahminism.    Also  they  were 


100  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

cannibals,  eager  for  the  hot  blood  of  human 
victims.  Now  these  failings  are  concentrated 
in  Surpanakha,  who  is  plainly  the  goddess 
Durga,  without  much  disguise.  She  and  her 
brother  Ravana  are  Siva-Durga.  She  is  a 
cannibal,  virulent  against  the  Brahmins. 
Balked  in  her  lust,  she  tells  her  brother 
Khara  that  she  will  eat  up  Sita  and  Rama 
and  Lakshmana. 

All  this  will  be  better  understood  if  I  give 
an  extract  from  the  ritual  used  in  the  worship 
of  Kali.  It  is  stated  that  a  man  offered  to 
her  will  please  her  for  a  thousand  years,  and 
three  men  will  insure  her  protection  for  one 
hundred  thousand  years.  But  the  suppliant 
must  speak  thus  : 

''Hrang  Hring,  Kali,  Kali!  Oh,  horrid- 
toothed  goddess,  eat,  cut,  destroy  all  the 
malignant.  Cut  with  this  axe ;  bind,  bind  ; 
seize,  seize ;  drink  blood,  spring,  receive. 
Salutation  to  Kali." 

By  the  side  of  this  enticing  witch,  let  us 
place  the  scene  when  Hercules  met  the  young 
women  at  the  parting  of  the  ways.  One, 
with    rich    attire    and   meretricious    charms. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  loi 

offered  him  a  life  of  luxury  and  earthly 
rapture.  The  second  proposed  a  life  of  toil 
and  self-respect.  Hercules  chose  the  nobler 
path  ;  and  the  story  is  much  used  for  its 
moral  teaching,  in  the  instruction  of  the 
young.  But  it  seems  to  me  to  fit  in  very 
much  better  in  the  life  of  Rama.  Did  not 
Hercules  seduce  the  fifty  daughters  of  King 
Thespius  ? 

Is  the  judgment  of  Paris  a  third  version 
of  this  story  ?  Durga,  Surpanakha,  and  the 
Juno  of  the  Achilles  story,  seem  all  the  same 
person.  The  anger  of  contemned  Juno 
causes  the  fall  of  Troy.  The  anger  of  con- 
temned Siarpanakha  causes  the  fall  of  Lanka. 

Surpanakha,  balked  of  her  love,  attacks 
Sita,  and  Lakshmana,  in  defending  her,  hacks 
off  the  demon's  nose  and  ears.  She  brings 
up  her  brother  Khara  with  an  army  to  attack 
Rama,  and  he  kills  Khara  and  puts  the  army 
to  flight. 

An  Indian  surgeon,  Dr.  Hutchenson,  has 
called  attention  to  a  curious  point  of  analogy. 
Hesione,  the  sister  of  Priam,  was  carried 
away  as  a  slave  to  Greece.     Priam  remohs- 


102  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

trated  and  demanded  her  restoration.  This 
being  refused,  he  sent  his  son  Paris,  Hesione's 
nephew,  to  carry  off  a  Greek  lady,  which  was 
one  of  the  chief  forms  of  retaliation  of  those 
savage  times.  Here  we  have  the  nephew  of 
Surpanakha  attempting  a  retaliation  also ; 
one  leading  to  the  Siege  of  Lanka,  and  the 
other  to  the  Siege  of  Troy. 

Surpanakha  hurries  away  to  Lanka,  and 
paints  the  charms  of  Sita  in  warm  colours  : 

"  A  wife  Prince  Rama  owns, 
With  large  round  eyes  and  cheek  divinely  fair, 

Pure  as  the  moon  her  brow ; 
The  locks  that  fall  adown  her  neck 
Outshine  the  clustering  locks  of  Indra's  nymphs ; 
Her  waist  is  supple,  and  her  shapely  arms 

Around  a  lover's  neck 

Were  guerdon  richer  far 
Than  all  the  wealth  that  Indra  can  bestow ; 

Sita  her  name.     Away, 

Away,  and  seize  the  prize — 

Her  beauty  worthy  thee. 

Lakshman  hath  marred  my  face. 

Our  brothers  in  the  earth, 

Dashan  and  Khara,  lie, 
Their  silent  lips  call  mutely  for  revenge, 

My  wit  shall  aid  thy  strength, 

A  woman's  wit, 
And  we  will  spoil  Prince  Rama." 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  103 

This  brings  on  the  scene,  the  terrible 
Dasagriva  as  Ravan  is  called,  the  ''  Ten- 
headed."  He  is  also  called  the  "  Demon 
who  can  change  his  form  at  will."  Was  not 
Helen  first  ravished  by  Proteus  ? 

"  Vast  as  the  giant  cloud  that  bears  the  storm, 
He  showed  his  dread,  immeasurable  form. 
His  arms  were  long,  and  copper-hued  his  eyes  ; 
His  wondrous  heads  seemed  sheltered  in  the  skies- 
Each  head  a  portent  on  the  battle  plain, 
For  cut  it  off,  at  once  it  grew  again  ; 
His  mighty  chest  recorded  many  wars, 
With  wounds  for  chaplets  and  for  trophies,  scars  : 
This  cut  Kuvera  made  when  wealth's  proud  lord 
Was  captured,  he  and  all  his  mighty  hoard ; 
And  like  the  furrowing  chasm  on  the  plain, 
When  a  great  earthquake  rips  the  world  in  twain, 
Airavata's  white  elephantine  prong, 
(Indra's  great  elephant  renowned  in  song) — 
Made  mark  indelible  to  note  the  line  it  passed  along. 
The  sun  abashed  invented  a  new  road, 
And  passed  dread  Ravan  under  his  abode. 
Foe  to  the  Brahman  Asrams  in  the  glade. 
Their  rites  he  sullied  and  their  wives  betrayed. 
Giants  his  cohorts,  cannibals  his  crew. 
They  fed  upon  the  corpses  that  they  slew. 
And  his  great  mouth— in  realms  of  human  pain 
Is  one  such  mouth,  in  Yama's  dread  domain— 
A-hungered  for  all  creatures  that  have  breath, 
Insatiate,  immense,  the  mouth  of  Death." 


104  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Ravana  in  his  magical  car  Pushpaka  speeds 
off  to  the  Dandaka  wood,  and  has  a  con- 
ference with  the  demon  Maricha.  An 
infamous  scheme  is  hatched.  The  demon, 
who  has  the  power  to  change  his  form  at 
will,  assumes  that  of  a  beautiful  antelope,^ 
and  comes  close  to  the  hut  of  Sita.  That 
lady,  attracted  by  his  seductive  appearance, 
incites  Rama  and  Lakshmana  to  try  and 
capture  it  without  hurt.  They  pursue  the 
gazelle ;  and  soon  a  Brahmin  mendicant 
appears  at  the  door  of  the  hut. 

A  covering  of  rough  yellow  shag  was  flung 
loosely  over  him.  His  matted  hair  was  tied 
up  in  the  orthodox  Jata.  He  carried  an 
umbrella  and  sandals  ;  and  over  his  shoulders 
a  dirty  bundle.  He  had,  moreover,  a  jug,  and 
a  staff  surmounted  with  Siva's  trident. 

He  accosted  the  lady  in  bland  terms,  and 
she  prepared  to  feed  and  entertain  him  as 
prescribed  by  the  Sastras. 

1  An  antelope !  The  most  heart-rending  story  of 
India  and  the  most  heart-rending  story  of  Greece  are 
each  ushered  in  with  an  antelope  and  an  archer — Rama 
and  his  counterpart  Agamemnon — and  behind  both  are 
the  Medusa  features  of  Diana-Durga. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  105 

•'It  was  the  grim  planet  Sanaischara,"^ 
says  the  narrative,  ''  approaching  the  pale 
star  Chitra." 

The  demon  soon  throws  off  his  disguise 
and  proposes  to  make  her  the  head  Queen  at 
Lanka,  with  five  hundred  waiting  women 
and  diamonds  and  pearls  galore.  Sita  is 
indignant,  but  helpless.  The  great  demon 
seizes  her  in  his  arms  and  carries  her  off  in 
the  air. 

A  bird,  Jatayus,  has  been  given  by  Rama 
to  his  wife  as  a  companion  and  protector.  It 
is  more  than  a  bird,  a  Deva  in  disguise. 

This  bird  makes  a  tremendous  effort  to 
arrest  the  night-wanderer,  as  the  sacred  book 
always  calls  the  evil  spirits.  He  attacks 
Ravana  with  talons  and  beak,  but  he  is 
slaughtered  and  his  carcase  is  burnt. 

Sita  watches  all  this,  and  pours  out  a 
chant  not  without  pathos  : 

"  Who  knows  the  signs  ? 
The  language  of  the  gods,  a  hidden  lore, 
Can  tell  what  solid  fortune  dreams  announce, 
And  note  the  false  dream -stuff  in  palaces. 

1  Saturn  or  Siva. 


io6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Thus  it  has  been  with  thee, 
O  bird,  my  friend  ! 
Great  Rama,  he  of  Raghu's  race  the  pride, 

Did  give  thee  to  his  wife ; 
'Twas  thine  to  stand  by,  watch  her  and  protect  her, 

And  thou  art  dead  ! 
For  her  thou  didst  give  up  thy  valued  Hfe 
In  battle  proud. 
Bird,  thou  wast  more  than  bird  ! 
At  times  I  called  thee  Dasaratha,  King ; 
At  times  I  held  that  from  the  world  of  shades, 
Bursting  all  doors  his  Sita  to  be  near. 
In  thy  bright  plumage  Janak  was  concealed, 
Janak,  my  sire  ! 
Alas  !  that  I  should  see 
Thy  plumes,  that  shone  like  Indra's  gates  of  gold. 
Gory  and  charred, 
Thy  wings  all  cinders. 
Ah  me !  what  wings  will  bear  to  Rama  now 
The  tale  of  Sita's  capture  by  a  fiend. 
And  tell  him  where  to  seek  her  ? 
And,  sterner  woe. 
What  wings  will  bear  to  him  these  tidings  dire — 
She  met  her  death,  but  baffled  the  disgrace?" 

Ravana  carries  Sita  to  Lafika,  which  is  a 
splendid  city,  decorated  with  the  spoils  that 
came  to  Ravana  through  his  victory  over  his 
brother  Kuvera,  the  god  of  wealth.  Columns 
of  crystal  and  silver,  and  white  marble  and 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  107 

gold,  support  stately  fanes  and  vast  domes, 
gold  bespattered.  His  palace  *'  ravishes 
the  soul,"  with  ''windows  of  ivory  and  gold, 
and  tabernacles  and  pavilions.  Splendid 
gardens  surrounded  it  with  amazing  flowers." 
The  fiend  shows  Sita  all  this  from  a  lofty 
pinnacle,  and  turns  out  diamonds  and  rubies 
by  hundreds  of  thousands.  He  offers  to 
make  her  his  Queen  ;  and  threatens  worse 
things. 

Valmiki,  in  this  very  delicate  situation, 
exhibits  singular  skill,  and  a  high  sense  of 
what  is  pure  and  what  is  noble.  Sita's 
answers  to  the  proposals  of  Ravana  are 
singularly  dignified  and  brave. 

"O  giant  King,  give  ear, 

Free  me  and  save  thy  soul ! 
Within  thy  breast  a  guilty  hope  abides 

To  hold  me  in  thine  arms 
And  seize  a  joy  that  ends  in  agony. 

Thus  in  his  fevered  dream 

The  madman  hopes  to  still 

His  pangs  with  poison. 
Release  the  wife  of  Rama  while  you  may, 

Not  long  his  vengeance  stays, 

Implacable  as  fate 
It  traverses  the  hills  and  seas  and  plains 


io8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

That  part  the  culprit  and  his  punishment. 

Soon  shall  his  twanging  bow, 

His  arrows  flecked  with  gold, 

His  dart  of  glistening  steel, 

Grim  as  dread  Yama's  mace, 
Disperse  thine  inky  legions  as  the  wind 
Pursues  the  racing  cloudlets  white  with  fear. 

Legions  on  legions  press, 

Their  serried  ranks  shine  out 

With  gold  and  burnished  brass, 
They  hurl  defiance  at  my  lion  spouse : 

Thus  it  shall  ever  be. 
His  shining  shafts  through  the  complaining  air 
Shall  speed  to  mar  thy  panoply  and  show. 
In  old  wife  lore  the  Indian  fable  runs 
That  dying  men  see  phantom  trees  of  gold. 

Look  up,  thy  doom  is  near  ! 
Not  far  the  horrid  regions  red  with  lakes 
Of  human  gore,  the  brake  with  thorns  of  steel 
Prepared  by  Yama's  justice  for  red  hands, 

And  breasts  surcharged  with  lust. 

Thy  threats  and  hopes  are  vain  ! 

My  death  an  easy  feat ;  a  harder  task 
To  shirk  my  Rama's  unrelenting  bolt." 

We  must  now  turn  to  the  brothers,  who, 
when  they  came  back  to  their  hut  and  found 
no  Sita,  were  quite  beside  themselves  with 
grief  and  terror.  Where  could  she  be  ? 
What  supreme  disaster  had  occurred  ?  They 
searched  everywhere  far  and  near. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  109 

They  wandered  about  quite  disconsolate, 
and  had  many  adventures.  Some  of  these 
seem  to  have  suggested  similar  adventures  in 
the  ''Odyssey." 

The  Cyclops, 
The  brothers  came  to  a  wood  and  Laksh- 
mana  had  .at  once  strange  forebodings  of 
danger.  These  were  promptly  verified,  for 
they  beheld  a  prodigy — an  enormous  human 
trunk,  the  body  of  a  giant.  This  body 
seemed  to  have  no  legs,  nor  could  the  young 
heroes  detect  any  head  attached  to  it,  but  in 
its  chest  there  was  a  terrible  eye — a  solitary 
eye,  enormous,  wild,  piercing — an  eye  that 
nothing  could  escape  even  at  an  enormous 
distance  ;  and  the  monster  had  mighty  arms, 
with  which  he  seized  bears,  gazelles,  tigers, 
elephants  (all  the  large  animals  of  the  forest), 
and  brought  them  to  a  gigantic  mouth,  which 
was  also  in  his  chest.  This  was  a  magician 
called  Danu,  who  by  his  ascetic  training  had 
become  so  powerful  that  he  could  not  be 
killed  by  gods  or  men.  Of  this  he  had 
boasted   to   Indra,   and  the  God,    to   punish 


no  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

him,  had  made  him  swallow  his  own  legs  and 
head,  and  had  then  allowed  him  to  live  on, 
deformed,  cursed,  abhorred  by  all  living 
creatures.  This  giant  promptly  seized  the 
two  Princes  with  his  long  arms,  and  tried  to 
draw  them  to  his  large  mouth.  It  was  all  they 
could  do  to  stop  him  when  he  had  got  them 
as  far  as  his  huge  lips. 

*'  What  spruce  young  warriors  are  these  ?" 
said  the  giant.  "You  carry  bows  and  arrows, 
and  you  come  to  my  forest,  which  folks  call 
the  Terrible  Wood,  as  food  for  a  hungry 
giant." 

Rama,  in  his  love  agony,  was  ready  to  face 
death,  but  Lakshmana  was  more  matter-of- 
fact.  "  Let  us  draw  our  swords,"  he  whis- 
pered, "and  each  hack  away  at  an  arm." 
This  they  did,  and  they  promptly  dis- 
membered the  big  giant,  and  eventually 
killed  him.-^ 

But  this  adventure  had  an  important 
sequence.  The  giant  was  so  pleased  to  be 
at  last  freed  from  his  fantastic  and  loathsome 


1    a 


Aranyakanda,"  vol.  iii.,  cap.  64,  ver.  14  ef  seg. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  iii 

carcase  by  the  brothers  that  he  did  them  a 
good  turn.  His  unseen  spirit  addressed  them  : 
'' O  illustrious  offspring  of  Raghu,"  said 
the  voice,  "  thou  seekest  the  peerless  bride 
named  Sita.  Speed  off  to  Kishkindhya. 
There  in  a  cave  is  the  deposed  King  of  the 
country,  Sugriva  by  name,  with  his  minister, 
Hanuman.    He  can  give  thee  tidings  of  her." 

Monkeys  and  Bears, 

We  now  come  to  chapters  of  our  story  that 
require  a  few  preliminary  remarks.  The 
army  of  Rama  which  set  out  to  rescue  Sita 
was  composed  of  monkeys  and  bears. 
Modern  Oxford  professors  can  scarcely  find 
language  strong  enough  to  deride  these 
chapters.  Professor  Monier  Williams  is 
aghast  at  this  "  wild  hyperbole,"  and  Pro- 
fessor Max  Muller  thinks  these  poems — and, 
indeed,  all  other  old  Indian  writings  except 
the  "  Rig  Veda" — pure  nonsense,  "  wild  and 
fanciful  conceptions."  ^ 

^  "  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,"  Max  Muller, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  75. 


112  rAma  and  homer 

But  side  by  side  with  this  fact  we  must 
place  another  : 

The  "  Ramayana  "  is  by  far  the  most  suc- 
cessful work  of  fiction  that  the  world  has 
seen.  It  has  been  running  some  thirty, 
perhaps  forty,  centuries/  and  is  more  popular 
no  w  than  at  starting.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  Hindus  still  delight  to  listen 
to  its  verses. 

The  present  writer,  in  the  old  days,  when 
serving  in  India,  has  heard  its  verses  chanted 
by  a  watch-fire  after  a  day's  march.  Many 
sepoys  could  still  sing  most  of  it  from  memory. 
At  the  commencement  of  our  march  each  day 
the  sepoys  all  shouted:  '' Jy  Ram!  Ram!" 
("Victory  to  Rama"). 

By  the  help  of  modern  railroads,  pilgrim- 
ages of  proportions  quite  formidable,  now 
take  place  annually  to  Chitra  Ktita,  near 
Allahabad,  to  the  jungle  where  poor  Sita 
dropped  her  tears.  They  place  all  records 
of  similar  gatherings  at  Mecca,  or  the  Holy 

1  The  French  Sanskritist,  M.  Fauche,  dates  it  at 
1320  B.C.  Gorresio,  the  Italian  translator,  dates  it 
1400  B.C. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  113 

Sepulchre  in  Palestine,  quite  in  the  shade/ 
Now,  Professor  Monier  Williams,  having 
lived  all  his  life  in  England,  criticizes  the 
poem  as  he  would  Malory's  '*  Morte  d' Arthur," 
a  work  dealing  with  ideas  long  since  dead  ; 
whereas  the-  early  Orientalists,  Colebrooke 
and  Moor  and  Wilson  and  Tod,  living 
amongst  the  Hindus,  were  able  to  see  an 
India  changed  very  little  from  the  India  of 
Valmiki.  That  poet  was  writing  for  the 
Hindus  ;  he  lived  amongst  the  Hindus  ;  he 
shared  their  creeds,  aspirations,  conventional 
fancies.  Supernatural  beings  in  India  are 
still  viewed  as  enormous  giants.  One  has 
the  head  of  a  monkey,  one  has  the  head  of  an 
elephant,  a  third  is  a  serpent.  If  this  fact  of 
the  gigantic  nature  of  the  Indian  gods  is 
overlooked,  the  key  to  the  **  Ramayana  "  is 
lost.  The  bears  are  compared  to  huge  dark 
clouds  seen  in  the  gloaming.  The  weapons 
of  the  monkeys  are  big  rocks  and  tree-trunks. 

^  I  read  in  a  newspaper  that  these  pilgrims  now 
amount  to  2,000,000  souls,  all  sects  sending  their  share. 
An  officer,  whose  regiment  is  at  Allahabad,  tells  me  that 
1,500,000  is  certainly  reached. 

8 


114  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

The  rock  flung  by  Angada  at  Indrajit  kills  the 
four  tigers  and  the  charioteer  of  his  car,  and 
knocks  down  and  stuns  the  giant,  who  is  as 
tall  as  the  Nelson  monument  in  Trafalgar 
Square.  In  the  Indian  Battle  of  the  Gods  all 
are  gods  or  demi-gods  except  Lakshmanaand 
Rama. 

Says  Professor  Monier  Williams  :  "  Those 
who  have  followed  the  path  of  Rama  from 
the  Gogra  to  Ceylon,  stand  out  as  marked 
men  among  their  countrymen.  It  is  this  that 
gives  the  "Ramayana"  a  strange  interest; 
the  story  still  lives  :  whereas  no  one  now,  in 
any  part  of  the  world,  puts  faith  in  the 
legends  of  Homer."  ^ 

And   yet   the    Professor   apologizes   quite 

humbly  when  he  presents  to  Oxford  one  or 

two  very  brief  specimens  of  the  poem.     But 

if  he  had   remembered   at  the  moment  that 

Homer,  Milton,  and  the  author  of  the  Apoca- 

lypse  have  all  pilfered  freely  from  Valmiki, 

he  might  have  judged  that  the  great  shock 

that  he  was  about  to  give   to   the  subacute 

literary  fastidiousness  of  the  Verdant  Greens 

^  Monier  Williams,  "  Indian  Epic  Poetry,"  p.  68, 
quoting  Calcutta  Review. 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  115 

of  the  University  was  not  likely,  in  the  end, 
to  do  irreparable  harm. 

And  now  the  most  striking  character 
appears  upon  the  scene.  You  cannot  call 
him  the  low  comedy  character  of  the  piece  ; 
Valmiki  intended  nothing  of  the  kind.  But 
when,  in  a  village,  a  rude  dramatic  version  of 
Rama's  story  is  given,  and  the  most  crafty 
and  bustling  agent  of  the  piece  at  critical 
moments  is  a  monkey,  you  can  understand 
that  village  audiences  would  make  him  their 
favourite,  and  take  him  very  much  from  his 
comic  side. 

Hanuman  was  at  once  monkey,  giant,  and 
the  most  potent  of  enchanters.  He  was  the 
son  of  Pavana,  the  Wind.  He  could  become 
as  small  as  a  mosquito  or  fifty  times  as  big  as 
an  elephant  at  any  moment. 

This  is  his  description  :  ''His  form  is  as 
vast  as  a  mountain  and  as  tall  as  a  gigantic 
tower  ;  his  complexion  is  yellow,  and  glowing 
like  molten  gold.  His  face  is  as  red  as  the 
brightest  ruby,  whilst  his  enormous  tail 
spreads  out  to  an  interminable  length.  He 
stands  on  a  lofty  rock  and  roars  like  thunder. 


ii6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

He  leaps  into  the  air,  and  flies  among  the 
clouds  with  a  rushing  noise,  whilst  the  ocean 
waves  are  roaring  and  splashing  below." 

He  is  the  most  popular  of  Indian  gods, 
and,  unfortunately,  this  description  is  a  little 
too  closely  followed  by  the  sculptor.  He 
figures  as  yellow  as  gamboge,  and  his  face  is 
as  red  as  a  brick.  Modern  trippers  in  India 
ask  :  ''  What  is  that  sugar-loaf  in  his 
hand.'^"  It  is  the  Himalaya  Mountains, 
which  he  brought  down,  with  their  herbs  and 
simples,  to  cure  Lakshmana.  Of  that  more 
by-and-by. 

The  brothers  in  due  course  of  time  found 
Sugriva  and  Hanuman  in  their  cave.  Sugriva 
had  been  deposed  by  Bali,  but  when  Rama 
tried  to  make  an  alliance  with  the  King  of 
the  monkeys,  Sugriva  was  alarmed  at  the 
proposal. 

"  See  those  palm-trees,  with  long  stems 
and  cascades  of  graceful  foliage  high  in  the 
air.  One  day  my  brother  Bali  sent  an 
arrow  through  the  stout  stems  of  three  of 
them." 

''Illustrious  King,"  said  Rama,  "complete 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  117 

trust  is  important  in  war.  You  doubt  my 
prowess.  I  will  show  you  what  I  can 
do." 

Now,  there  were  seven  palm-trees,  all 
ranged  in  a  line.  Rama,  taking  up  the 
bow  of  Siva  that  he  won  when  he  competed 
with  the  suitors  for  the  hand  of  Sita,  aimed 
an  arrow  at  this  line  of  stout  trees.  It 
passed  through  all  seven,  roaring  like  the 
thunder  of  Siva,  and  flew  to  the  regions  of 
Yama  ;  and  by-and-by  came  gently  back  to 
Rama's  quiver. 

An  alliance  was  formed  between  Rama 
and  the  Monkey  King,  and  by  Rama's 
directions  four  apes  were  sent  off  by  Sugriva 
to  search  for  Lanka.  Their  names  were, 
Hanuman,  Nila,  Angada  and  Jambavat. 

But  they  could  obtain  no  information  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  Ravana ;  and  Hanuman 
and  Angada  nearly  lost  their  lives  in  a 
Golden  Cavern. 

Did  this  suggest  the  story  of  the  sirens  ? 


ii8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 


The  Golden  Cavern  oj  the  Five 
Apsaras, 

Of  old,  says  the  Indian  epic,  there  was  a 
Vana-prastha  named  Mandakarni  who  so 
mortified  his  flesh  that  by-and-by  he  got  to 
threaten  Indra's  supremacy.  For  ten  thou- 
sand years  he  had  no  bed  nor  seat  but  a 
rough  stone,  and  no  food  but  the  wind. 
Indra  was  thoroughly  alarmed  at  these 
abnormal  austerities.  He  sent  off  five  of  his 
most  beautiful  Apsaras  to  tempt  Mandakarni. 
They  surrounded  him  with  their  celestial 
blandishments,  and  sang  to  him  the  songs  of 
the  heavenly  choristers.  Hanuman  and 
Angada  came  to  the  spot  where  Mandakarni 
had  lived.  There,  now,  is  a  lovely  lake 
called  the  '  Lake  of  the  Five  Apsaras." 
Wild  swans  and  the  Sarali-thrush  swim  in  its 
waters,  and  lotuses  of  many  colours  abound. 
And  on  a  still  evening  soft  voices  can  be 
heard  from  the  depths,  accompanied  by 
delicious  music.  For  below  is  a  palace  as 
enchanting     as     that     of     Undine.       There 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  119 

Mandakarni  is  kept  in  sweet  but  efficient  con- 
finement by  the  Five  Apsaras. 

The  pair  found  their  way  through  labyrin- 
thine passages  into  these  underground 
splendours,  trees  with  gems  and  golden  fruits. 
And  then  they  found  that  they  could  not 
get  out  again.  That  was  the  usual  fate  of 
the  rash  adventurer.  He  left  his  bones  in 
the  cavern.  This  seems  more  logical  than 
the  Greek  story.  The  sirens  are  grat- 
uitous assassins.  But  the  Apsaras,  that 
tempt  ascetics,  had  an  object — namely,  to 
prevent  an  ascetic  magician  from  becoming 
too  powerful,  Svayamprabha  on  this  occasion 
appeared  and  rescued  them. 

But  help  by-and-by  came  from  a  vulture 
named  Sampati,  a  brother  of  Jatayus.  He 
saw  poor  Sita  in  the  flying  car ;  and  she 
cried  out,  "  Rama!   Rama,"  as  she  went  by. 

He  tells  them  that  she  has  been  carried  to 
Lanka ;  and  that  Ravana  lives  at  that  place. 
To  it  he  guides  them. 

By-and-by  they  reached  the  seashore  and 
found  that  its  terrible  billows  parted  them 
from  the  spot  they  sought.      How  were  they 


120  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

to  get  across  ?  They  were  informed  by 
Sampati  that  a  jump  of  lOO  yoganas 
was  necessary.  What  monkey  or  bear  was 
ready  to  try  either  to  jump,  or  swim,  this 
distance  ?  All  declared  that  Hanuman,  the 
son  of  Vayu  (Indian  ^olus),  was  alone  fit  to 
attempt  it. 

Hanuman,  deputed  to  make  the  attempt, 
sprang  into  the  water,  and  the  waves  for 
miles  bubbled  and  raged  against  the  rocks 
and  coast  with  a  mighty  splash. 

Now,  it  happened  that  between  India  and 
Lanka  was  a  colossal  submarine  mountain. 
This  mighty  mass  had  been  placed  there  by 
Indra  to  imprison  the  vast  and  potent  demons 
confined  in  hell ;  the  poet  throws  off  all  dis- 
guise at  this  point  and  confesses  bluntly  the 
real  nature  of  Lafika. 

The  mountain  was  called  Mainaka,  and  a 
sea-nymph  dwelt  among  its  grottos.  She 
thus  addressed  it : 

''The  King  of  Gods,  O  Mainaka,  hath 
placed  thee  here  as  a  barrier  before  the 
cohorts  of  the  Asuras  who  dwell  in  the 
lowest  hell.     Thy  tall  pinnacles  remain  here 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  121 

closing  the  gate  of  the  boundless  Patala  (hell) 
against  the  colossal  Yakshas,  who  without 
thee  would  escape"  ("  Ramayana,"  vol.  v., 
chap.  vii.). 

Then  this  sea-nymph,  who  has  espoused 
Rama's  side  in  the  contest,  orders  the  moun- 
tain to  rise  above  the  level  of  the  sea  to  give 
Hanuman  a  resting-place  half  across  the 
straits.  This  is  done,  and  the  various  peaks 
that  emerge,  help  eventually  the  army  of 
Rama  to  build  the  bridge  that  carries  them 
over. 

When  Hanuman  was  swimming,  the 
demons  incited  a  mighty  naga  named  Surasd 
to  stop  him. 

"  Take,"  they  said,  "  the  shape  of  a  fearful 
demon,  vast  as  a  mountain,  with  long  and 
startling  tusks,  and  yellow  eyes,  and  jaws 
which  when  fully  opened  could  touch  heaven." 
The  female  Surasa  obeyed  and  confronted 
Hanuman  with  this  : 

''  Come  into  my  mouth,"  said  the  fiend 
to  the  monkey.  *'  None  can  escape  me  that 
try  to  pass  these  waters." 

"  Your   mouth    is    not    big   enough,"  said 


122  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Hanuman,  and  he  suddenly  made  his  body 
30  yoganas  long  and  10  yoganas  broad. 

The  female  demon,  undisturbed  by  this, 
made  her  mouth  10  yoganas  across. 

Hanuman  then  increased  his  form,  and  the 
female  demon  did  the  same,  until  at  last  it 
reached  the  enormous  figure  of  100  yoganas. 

Then  Hanuman  contracted  himself  into  a 
miniature  monkey  and  ran  down  the  demon's 
throat.  Then  becoming  gigantic  he  burst 
the  demon's  belly.  One  version  calls  her 
Sinhika. 

Here,  again,  we  must  turn  to  the  life  of 
Hercules.  King  Laomedon  of  Troy  was 
obliged  to  place  a  young  maiden,  chosen  by 
lot,  on  the  shores  of  the  sea  every  year  to  be 
eaten  up  by  a  sea-monster.  On  one  occasion 
the  lot  fell  on  Hesione,  the  King's  daughter. 
Hercules  came  to  her  rescue,  and  attacked 
the  foul  monster,  jumping  into  his  belly  and 
slaughtering  him  as  Hanuman  slaughtered 
Surasa.  Again  the  old  question  confronts 
us  : — which  seems  the  most  likely  to  have 
been  the  original  story  .^^  The  Indian  narra- 
tive   of   an    enchanter    small   as   a  mosquito 


THE  STORY  OF  RAMA  123 

when  he  ran  down  the  demon's  throat,  and 
then  growing  as  'big  as  the  Isle  of  Wight,  or 
the  Greek  story  of  a  human  athlete  forcing 
his  way  through  the  crunching  jaws,  say,  of 
a  megatherium. 

And  again  strange   evidence,  roundabout, 
perhaps,  but  instructive,  suggests  itself. 

What  was  the  early  Greek  idea  of  hell  ? 
It  is  given  by   Hesiod :   "  A  broken  anvil," 
he    says,    "  flung    out    from    heaven    would 
continue  falling  day  and  night  for  nine  days 
before  it  reached  the  earth  ;  and  thrown  out 
from  the  earth  would  take  the  same  time  to 
reach    hell."     Homer   makes     Ulysses    visit 
hell ;    but    does    he    tell    the    same    story  ? 
Ulysses  steered  to  the  Cimmerian  land  with 
his  followers  ;  and   they  moored   their   ship. 
Sacrifices  and  solemn  rites  were  paid  to  *'  all 
the  phantom  nations  of  the  dead";  and  the 
infernal  halls  were  entered.     Minos  presided 
with      his      judgments      and     punishments. 
Sisyphus  rolled  his  stone.    Tantalus  snatched 
at  phantom  grapes  and  hgs.      Plainly  it  was 
the    conventional    Greek   hell,    and    on    the 
seashore  like  Laiika. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Kama's  bridge 

The  army  had  now  reached  Adam's  Bridge. 
How  was  it  to  get  across  ?  The  work  of 
the  poet  is  to  objectivize  dreams — dreams  of 
an  individual — dreams  of  a  nation.  Valmlki 
found  here  singular  assistance.  Huge 
boulders,  moved  about  by  ice-action,  are 
sprinkled  along  from  the  Himalayas  to 
Adam's  Bridge.  Then  the  Island  of  Ceylon, 
which  was  once  a  part  of  the  Continent,  has 
a  reefy  barrier  which  looks  like  a  broken 
pier.  This  now  goes  by  the  name  of  Rama 
Setu  (Rama's  Pier).  Two  islands — one  the 
Ramesurum,  or  Pillar  of  Rama,  in  line  with 
the  reef,  keep  up  the  fancy.  Rama's  island 
is  crowned  with  a  Cyclopean  temple.-^     The 

1  The  Rameswar,  the   goal  of  i,ooo   pilgrimages,  is 
one  of  twelve  great  Lingams,  set  up,  it  is  said,  by  Rama 
124 


c        c 


c  c  tec 


RAMA'S  bridge  125 

broken  line  of  the  Setu,  or  pier,  is  sufficiently 
continuous  to  force  all  ships  to  pass  round 
Ceylon  altogether  when  sailing  to  or  from 
the  Ganges.  When  we  add  that  the  hill  of 
Govardhana,  near  Muttra,  and  the  whole 
Kymar  range  in  Central  India,  also  fit  in  to 
the  suggestion  that  the  Setu  was  created 
by  huge  Cyclopean  giants,  bringing,  and  also 
dropping,  boulders  and  mountains  from  the 
Himalayas  to  Adam's  Bridge,  the  reader  will 
think  that  Valmiki  was  happily  helped  by 
geography.  His  story  tells  us  that  at  this 
point  the  giant  monkeys  went  off  to  the 
Himalayas,  and  brought  boulders,  small  hills 
and  large  hills ;  and  all  worked  to  set  up 
Rama  Setu  (Rama's  Pier),  which  was  at 
last  happily  finished.  The  fifth  book  that 
tells  all  this  is  called  the  Sundara  Kanda, 
**the  beautiful  book,"  by  the  Hindus.  This 
enra^^es  Professor  Monier  Williams  more 
than  anything  else  in  the  "chain  of  absurdi- 
ties "  written  by  the  poet  Valmiki. 

on  the  intervening  island.  Why  Lingams  ?  The  spots 
had  plainly  an  earlier,  or  Sivan,  sacredness. 


126  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

I  don't  quite  know  what  to  say  to  this.  If 
I  were  told  that  a  man  named  Brown  and 
another  named  Harris  Hfted  up  between  them 
a  locomotive  on  the  Great  Western  Railway- 
on  the  3rd  of  last  June,  and  carried  it 
30  yards,  I  should  say  that  the  story  was 
extravagant  ;  but  when  I  have  to  deal  with 
a  power  not  of  the  earth,  an  almighty  agent, 
I  have  to  confess  that  the  problem  is  beyond 
me.  Professors  of  Oxford,  happily  gifted 
with  a  penetration  which  allows  them  to 
settle  how  much  miracle  may  be  allowed  to 
a  God  Almighty,  are,  of  course,  under  a 
different  law.  The  monkeys  were  divine 
beings.  On  the  surface  Valmiki  had  a 
delicate  task.  He  had  to  objectivize  the 
religious  thoughts  and  popular  dreams  of 
India.  Aided  by  geology  and  geography, 
his  work,  on  the  surface,  seems  to  have  been 
signally  successful.  Perhaps  the  legend  of 
Cyclopean  builders,  and  dropping  rocks,  was 
in  the  Hindu  mind  before  he  touched  the 
story.  On  it  he  has  founded  a  poem  that 
has  moved  and  delighted  more  men  and 
women  than,   I   had  almost   written,   all   the 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  127 

other  poems  in  the  world  put  together.  Two 
millions  of  Sita's  lovers  go  every  year  in 
pilgrimage  to  the  spot  where  she  garlanded 
wild  flowers  on  Rama's  brow. 

Patala,  the  hell  of  the  Hindus,  if  Laiika  be 
a  correct  picture  of  it,  is  certainly  not  at  all 
bad.  The  Queen  -  Mother  Nikasha,  the 
favourite  Queen,  Mandodari,  and  the  brother 
of  Ravana,  the  giant  Vibhishana,  all  dis- 
approved of  the  treatment  of  Sita,  and 
strongly  urged  Dasagriva  to  return  her  to 
her  husband.  Vibhishana,  as  I  have  already 
mentioned,  plays  the  role  of  Antenor  in  the 
great  drama.  By-and-by  Ravana  will  insult 
him  beyond  endurance,  and  he  will  go  over 
to  Rama's  army,  and  give  it  considerable 
help. 

Meanwhile  the  poor  Queen  Sita  was  in 
pitiable  straits.  She  was  terribly  treated  by 
the  Rakshasas  of  Ravana,  the  female  friends 
to  whom  she  had  been  consigned  by  Dasa- 
griva. These  hendesses  had  strange  names  : 
"  Ajamukhi  "  (Goat-head),  "  Haya  mukhi  " 
(Horse- head),  '' Lean  -  hips,"  etc.  They 
threatened  to  kill  and  eat  her ;  and  certainly 


128  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

would  have  killed  her  with  fright,  if  the 
Prophetess  Trijata  had  not  appeared  on  the 
scene.  This  caused  the  female  goblins  to 
run  towards  the  witch  to  hear  the  news. 
They  were  goblins,  but  they  were  also 
females.  Sita  took  refuge  in  despair  by  the 
trunk  of  a  Sinsapa-tree ;  and  a  little  bird 
came  and  settled  on  a  branch  near  her,  and 
piped  a  little  song,  which  seemed  to  say  : 
"Be  of  good  cheer,  O  daughter  of  Janaka. 
Aid  is  coming." 

And  now  another  strange  incident  occurred ; 
a  small  monkey  was  hopping  from  branch  to 
branch,  and  these  words  came  to  the  afflicted 
Princess  : 

''  Queen,  nourished  in  the  Videha,  thy 
husband,  the  brave  Rama,  sends  thee  a 
message." 

Sita  could  scarcely  believe  her  eyes  or  her 
ears.  She  saw  the  little  monkey,  and  said 
in  her  soul :  "  Is  it  all  a  dream  ?" 

"  Answer  me  this,"  pursued  the  voice.  "  I 
seek  Queen  Sita.  A  minute  or  two  ago 
I  saw  a  beautiful  Queen  blazing  with  jewels. 
She  was  seated  by  the  side  of  a  King,  and 


RAMA'S  bridge  129 

many  courtiers  surrounded  them.  The 
pavilion  where  they  reclined  was  all  precious 
stones  and  sandal-wood.  I  said  in  my  heart 
Sita,  the  wife  of  Rama,  could  never  sit  thus 
beside  another  man.  And  now  I  see  a 
woman  in  the  ashes  and  rude  garb  of  a 
holy  ascetic.  Tell  me  the  truth,  art  thou 
Sita.^" 

"  My  name  is  Sita,"  said  the  lady,  ''  and  I 
am  married  to  Rama  the  King." 

"  I  come  as  his  messenger,  and  I  have 
passed  the  sea.  His  vast  army  is  following — 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  bold  warriors. 
They  tramp  along  like  the  hosts  of  Indra 
when  assailing  the  Maruts.  Behold  this  ring 
which  I  have  brought  thee.  See,  it  is  in- 
scribed with  Rama's  name !" 

Sita  took  the  ring  with  immense  joy.  At 
first  she  had  suspected  some  treachery. 

'*  And  now,  Queen,  come  with  me  ;  I  will 
carry  thee  safely  to  thy  husband." 

The  Queen  was  astounded  at  this,  the 
monkey  was  so  small. 

''  I  guess  thy  puzzle,"  said  the  monkey, 
"  but   see,   I    am  now  a  giant.     With  these 

9 


130  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

arms  I  will  bear  thee  ;  and  I  will  trample  on 
all  the  soldiers  of  the  Ten-headed." 

By  this  time  the  monkey  had  shown  his 
vast  proportions.. 

The  Queen  replied  with  spirit : 

''At  the  altar  of  Heaven,  O  gracious 
Vanar,  I  made  a  solemn  vow  that  no  arm 
should  ever  encircle  me  save  that  of  Rama 
the  King.  That  vow  binds  me  until  my  death, 
be  it  far  or  near." 

And  no  persuasion  of  Hanuman  could 
shake  this  resolution. 

But  the  persecutions  of  Ravana  and  his 
furies  by-and-by  become  more  than  human 
nature  could  bear.  She  determines  to  starve 
herself  to  death.  But  Indra  visits  her,  accom- 
panied by  the  god  of  sleep,  whom  he  orders 
to  throw  into  a  profound  slumber  the  hags 
and  fiends  that  watch  over  Sita.  Then  a 
grave  and  solemn  old  man  appears  before 
her,  and  addresses  her  : 

.    '"  Daughter  of  Mithila's  anointed  King, 
Look  up  and  listen  to  the  news  I  bring ; 
To  rescue  thee  thy  spouse  is  on  the  way, 
His  dense  battahons  marshalled  for  the  fray, 


Uj^ 

1^,..  1     *^^^^^^^^^- 

RAMA'S  BRIDGE  131 

Vaiiars  with  tree  trunks,  Devas  in  disguise, 

Amazing  legions  mustered  in  the  skies ; 

Not  Ravan's  serpent-shafts,  not  boihng  sea, 

Shall  keep  thy  Rama  long  from  him  and  thee  : 

But  list,  brave  spouse,  to  what  the  heavens  have  taught, 

To  starve  is  sinful  whatsoe'er  the  thought ; 

The  fates  allot  to  mortals  at  their  birth 

A  fixed  amount  of  joys  and  woes  on  earth. 

On  rude  sky  pathways  woes  are  help  divine, 

Great  child  of  Janak,  few  to  equal  thine, 

Thy  guards  through  me  are  helpless  in  a  swoon, 

Drink  of  this  milk — not  paltry  is  the  boon, 

The  nourishment  of  gods,  the  famed  Amrit — 

For  thy  large  sorrow  some  reward  is  meet.' 

She  answered,  '  Man  of  aspect  grave  and  just, 

Whom  in  this  realm  can  tortured  woman  trust  ? 

Thy  words  bring  hope  to  unexampled  ruth, 

Declare,  O  Rishi,  swear  thy  words  are  truth.' 

Up  from  the  ground  the  stranger  seemed  to  rise, 

And  showed  confessed  the  Monarch  of  the  Skies  ; 

She  drank  the  Ichor,  and,  like  helpful  balm 

Mixed  with  huge  terror,  came  a  holy  calm." 

Monsieur  Fauche  has  pointed  out  that,  in 
Book  XIX.  of  the  "  Iliad,"  Achilles  in  his  great 
grief  for  the  death  of  Patroclus  has  determined, 
like  Sita,  to  refuse  all  nourishment.  Jove 
sends  Minerva  to  give  him  the  ambrosia  of 
the  Greek  gods — which  is  the  Amrit  of 
India. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  131 

Vanars  with  tree  trunks,  Devas  in  disguise, 

Amazing  legions  mustered  in  the  skies ; 

Not  Ra van's  serpent-shafts,  not  boiling  sea, 

Shall  keep  thy  Rama  long  from  him  and  thee  : 

But  Hst,  brave  spouse,  to  what  the  heavens  have  taught, 

To  starve  is  sinful  whatsoe'er  the  thought ; 

The  fates  allot  to  mortals  at  their  birth 

A  fixed  amount  of  joys  and  woes  on  earth. 

On  rude  sky  pathways  woes  are  help  divine, 

Great  child  of  Janak,  few  to  equal  thine, 

Thy  guards  through  me  are  helpless  in  a  swoon. 

Drink  of  this  milk — not  paltry  is  the  boon, 

The  nourishment  of  gods,  the  famed  Amrit — 

For  thy  large  sorrow  some  reward  is  meet.' 

She  answered,  '  Man  of  aspect  grave  and  just. 

Whom  in  this  realm  can  tortured  woman  trust  ? 

Thy  words  bring  hope  to  unexampled  ruth, 

Declare,  O  Rishi,  swear  thy  words  are  truth.' 

Up  from  the  ground  the  stranger  seemed  to  rise, 

And  showed  confessed  the  Monarch  of  the  Skies  ; 

She  drank  the  Ichor,  and,  like  helpful  balm 

Mixed  with  huge  terror,  came  a  holy  calm." 

Monsieur  Fauche  has  pointed  out  that,  in 
Book  XIX.  of  the  '^  Iliad,"  Achilles  in  his  great 
grief  for  the  death  of  Patroclus  has  determined, 
like  Sita,  to  refuse  all  nourishment.  Jove 
sends  Minerva  to  give  him  the  ambrosia  of 
the  Greek  gods — which  is  the  Amrit  of 
India. 


132  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"  He  spoke ;  and  sudden,  at  the  word  of  Jove, 

Shot  the  descending  goddess  from  above. 
•X-  -x-  •»■  •«-  *  -x- 

To  great  Achilles  she  her  flight  address'd, 

And  pour'd  divine  ambrosia  in  his  breast, 

With  nectar  sweet,  (refection  of  the  gods  !), 

Then,  swift  ascending,  sought  the  bright  abodes." 

This  suggests  a  question.  Who  would  be 
the  most  likely  to  earn  an  unexampled  instance 
like  this  of  divine  sympathy,  a  boisterous 
swashbuckler  with  a  bevy  of  ''  captive 
virgins  "  in  his  tents,  or  a  noble  woman  in 
the  toils  of  a  lustful  fiend  ?  Another  question. 
Why  did  Jove  miraculously  reinvigorate  his 
most  formidable  opponent  in  the  revolt  of  the 
gods? 

And  in  the  Court  of  Lanka  was  an  Indian 
Cassandra  who  spoke  words  of  doom.  Her 
name  was  Trijata.     This  was  her  vision  : 

The  great  city  of  Lafika  was  throwing  up 
flames  and  smoke  to  the  skies.  The  hungry 
sea  was  toppling  down  spires,  arcades, 
palaces.  Vast  hordes  in  red  flickered  before 
her  eyes.  They  were  bald-headed,  drunken 
and  dancing,  and  singing  to  the  sounds  of 
trumpets  and  tom-toms.      Fearful  words  were 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  133 

heard  at  intervals.  ''Fly!  fly!  kill!  kill!" 
Wild  asses,  an  awful  portent,  were  hurrying 
heroes  to  a  lake  of  mud. 

Then  Rama  appears  in  an  ivory  car,  which 
is  dragging  a  human  being.  Positively  it  is 
Ravana,  "  with  a  cord  round  his  neck  being 
pulled  towards  the  regions  of  Yama." 

Here  again  is  a  very  strange  coincidence. 
Mr.  Gilbert  Murray  has  pointed  out  that 
in  the  Greek  tragedies  Hector  was  alive 
when  first  fastened  to  the  car  of  Achilles. 
Ravana  is  also  alive,  because  he  has  not  yet 
reached  the  regions  of  Yama,  that  is  Death. 

Rama's  army  by-and-by  reached  the  sea. 
A  bridge  was  built  on  the  straits  by  the 
monkeys.     Soon  a  fierce  battle  took  place. 

"  Now  man  to  man  selected  foes  engage, 
Or  cohorts  shock  and  crumble  in  their  rage ; 
Fierce  arrow  flights  the  demons  pour  like  rain, 
And  in  their  chariots  race  along  the  plain ; 
Huge  elephants  like  rounded  clouds  at  dusk 
Trample  on  hosts,  and  ply  the  bloody  tusk ; 
Turmoil  and  scramble  follow  their  attacks, 
Not  men  but  cohorts  fight  upon  their  backs. 
The  monkey  army  bravely  bears  the  shock, 
Wields  the  great  tree  and  aims  the  flying  rock ; 
The  giant  bears,  disdaining  distant  strife, 


134  RAMA  and  homer 

Close  with  the  demons  and  squeeze  out  their  life. 

Their  coal-black  forms  show  huge  in  clouds  of  dust, 

Sharp  claws  and  teeth  the  weapons  that  they  trust. 

Brave  Jambumali  fighting  in  the  van 

Pierced  with  his  lance  the  breast  of  Hanuman. 

The  mighty  giant  crushed  him  with  his  fist, 

And  sent  his  soul  to  Yama's  realms  of  mist. 

Then  Vibhishana,  shocked  at  Ravan's  rape, 

In  Rama's  battle  ranked  his  awful  shape  ; 

Him  from  his  car  with  shafts  Mitraghna  pHed, 

But  one  huge  javelin  stopped  his  airy  ride. 

Great  Virupaksha  braves  proud  Lakshman's  might, 

And  Rama  meets  four  champions  in  the  fight. 

The  noise  of  battle  spreads  from  shore  to  shore. 

And  bears  and  tigers  drown  the  ocean  roar. 

Horses  and  monkeys  grieve  in  woeful  tones, 

And  all  the  breeze  is  charged  with  human  groans  ; 

Ear-splitting  drums  sound  out  and  trumpets  blow — 

Loud  jeers  and  battle  screams  from  foe  to  foe. 

And  far-off  jackals  sound  their  piteous  note  of  woe. 

But  who  is  this  that  from  his  whirling  car 

Sustains  the  legions  and  directs  the  war  ? 

Four  angry  tigers  hurry  him  along, 

Him  and  his  golden  car  with  diamonds  strung  ; 

A  pennon  streams  behind,  and  all  behold 

A  glistening  serpent  stitched  in  strings  of  gold. 

His  name  was  Meghanada,  till  that  day 

When  Brahma  crowned  his  prowess  in  the  fray. 

When  awful  Indra  fled  before  his  might. 

And  all  the  gods  were  worsted  in  the  fight. 

Said  Brahma,  then,  as  record  of  the  feat : 

'  He  conquered  Indra,  name  him  Indrajit.' 


rAma's  bridge  135 

Now  when  his  father  Ravan  saw  the  brood, 
Sugriva's  army  from  the  As'oka  wood, 
He  sent  young  Aksha  first  to  stem  the  tide, 
Aksha  his  youngest  offspring  and  his  pride — 
But  Hanuman,  inspired  with  giant  ruth, 
Dispersed  the  myrmidons  and  killed  the  youth. 
Fierce  Ravan,  then,  astonished  and  dismayed, 
At  once  called  Meghanada  to  his  aid. 
'  Go  forth  my  son,'  he  cried,  '  and  face  to  face 
Confront  and  kill  this  Pride  of  Raghu's  race !' 
Then  Indra's  Victor  proudly  led  the  swarms 
To  counter-strokes  and  rallying  feats  of  arms  ; 
Full  on  the  bears  their  fiery  weapons  play, 
And  monkeys  fall  in  swathes  like  fields  of  hay  ; 
Torn  shields  and  corselets  figure  far  and  near — 
The  broken  falchion  and  the  twisted  spear. 
Huge  swarms  of  arrows  buried  to  the  head, 
And  wheels  of  cars  whose  swift  career  is  sped  : 
Giants  and  elephants  bestud  the  plain. 
Vast  blood-soaked  forms  that  ne'er  will  stir  again. 
Amazing  night !     It  really  seemed  that  none, 
Monkey  or  fiend,  would  see  the  morrow's  sun  ! 
Amazing  night !     Of  such  the  Sastras  tell — 
The  Kalaratri— Festival  of  Hell. 
Amazing  night  !     Predicted  to  efface 
Man's  joys  and  pangs — to  end  the  human  race. 

^  *  "k  f:  *  "^ 

But  in  the  clamour  whence  this  sudden  hush  ? 
Two  mighty  giants  on  each  other  rush ; 
One — Indrajit,  who  hopes  the  day  to  crown 
With  one  o'erwhelming  champion  of  renown  ; 
And  Bali's  son,  inheriting  the  fire, 


136  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

The  mighty  glow  and  cunning  of  the  sire. 

Where  arrows  rain  intrepid  Angad  stands, 

A  rock — a  mountain — in  his  awful  hands ; 

Aloft  it  rises  with  a  hurtling  sound, 

And  in  the  air  it  circles  round  and  round ; 

The  curve  complete,  down  comes  the  monstrous  rock, 

All  earth  and  heaven's  concave  know  the  shock. 

Tigers  and  driver  perish  in  the  fall. 

And  one  amazing  ruin  covers  all. 

Loud  shouts  of  triumph  come  from  Angad's  crew; 

Blinded  and  dazed,  the  demon  chief  they  view. 

Angad  runs  on  to  kill  the  fiend  outright, 

When  lo  !  the  vision  mixes  with  the  night." 

Indrajit,  according  to  Monsieur  Fauche,  is 
the  model  that  has  suggested  Hector  to 
Homer.  Certainly  there  are  plenty  of  those 
coincidences  which  Professors  Monier 
Williams  and  Jacobi  think  of  such  small 
importance. 

1.  Priam  and  Ravana  have  each  a  beloved 
son  conspicuous  for  his  daring.  Each  is  the 
champion  of  his  army. 

2.  This  son  heads  a  mighty  rally  on  the 
part  of  the  defenders  which  very  nearly  over- 
throws the  invading  army  altogether. 

3.  Each  is  overcome  and  to  save  his  life 
he  suddenly  disappears  by  miraculous  means. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  137 

4.  Each  has  a  magical  weapon.  The 
darts  of  Indrajit  become  active  serpents  ;  the 
lance  of  Hector  smites  a  foe  and  then  returns 
to  the  hand. 

*'  Then  parts  the  lance  :  but  Pallas'  heavenly  breath 
Far  from  Achilles  wafts  the  winged  death : 
The  bidden  dart  again  to  Hector  flies, 
And  at  the  feet  of  its  great  master  lies." 

Pope's  "  IHad,"  XX. 

The  magical  shafts  of  Indrajit  were 
"  serpents  in  the  guise  of  darts.  "^ 

The  car  of  Indrajit  goes  of  its  own  accord 
wherever  he  wishes  it.^ 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  Ravana,  the 
father,  had  a  dart  like  Hector's  that  returned 
to  his  hand  after  killing  a  foe. 

But  we  must  now  show  how  Indrajit  got 
his  weapons  : 

"  Concealed  in  Larika,  in  a  darksome  wood, 
Was  a  round  space,  and  there  an  altar  stood : 
Thither  that  evening,  balked  in  his  emprise, 
Went  Indrajit  for  hell's  own  sacrifice. 
His  warlocks  bring  him  flowers  and  bloody  garbs, 

^  "Ramayana,"  VI.,  c.  20,  ver.  9. 
2  Ibid.^  c.  64,  ver.  12. 


138  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Red  turbans,  woods,  and  shafts  with  cruel  barbs 

And  other  bloody  arms  to  make  a  hedge 

From  baleful  goblins  in  their  sortilege ; 

Into  this  ring  a  black  he-goat  they  urge 

And  lead  the  victim  to  the  Thaumaturge. 

His  throat  is  pierced,  they  catch  the  spirting  blood, 

And  ghee^  is  mingled  with  the  purple  flood. 

Then,  with  a  spoon  containing  double  scoops. 

Mage  Indrajit  for  this  rich  ichor  stoops. 

The  altar  he  anoints  ;  and  in  the  dark 

Come  flames  ignited  by  no  earthly  spark. 

These  ardent  prodigies  combine  their  spires 

And  show  the  God  of  Subterranean  fires. 

The  horrent  spectre  turns  towards  the  South 

And  laps  th'  oblation  with  his  fiery  mouth ; 

From  this  each  quaking  necromancer  draws 

Prognostics,  favouring  proud  Lanka's  cause  : 

Then  from  the  potent  blaze  comes  forth  a  car, 

Horses  superb,  a  miracle  in  war. 

At  will  this  chariot  vanished  from  the  sight, 

Raced  fast  or  slow,  or  turned  to  left  or  right. 

On  it  are  magic  weapons,  that  send  out 

Serpents  intelligent,  that  race  about, 

Pursue  the  flying  foeman,  and  enlace 

His  throat  in  irresistible  embrace." 

Meanwhile  Rama  and  his  brother  were 
fighting  bravely.  Lakshmana  had  for  an- 
tagonist   Virupaksha.      Rama    was    assailed 

^  Clarified  butter. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  139 

by  Agniketu,  Rasmlketu,  Suptaghna,  and 
Vajraketu.  Lakshmana  conquered  his  oppo- 
nent ;  and  Rama  sent  his  four  assailants  to 
Yama's  domain.  His  awful  missiles  cut  off 
all  their  heads. 

But  whilst  they  were  fighting  thus  boldly, 
Indrajit,  in  his  invisible  chariot,  suddenly 
assailed  them.  They  sent  arrows  every- 
where into  the  darkness.  But  the  fight  was 
unequal.  Indrajit  was  able  to  hit  them 
wherever  he  pleased,  but  he  himself  remained 
perfectly  secure.  At  last  the  demon,  finding 
that  ordinary  arms  could  not  kill  the  brothers, 
had  recourse  to  a  terrible  enchanted  weapon. 
It  sent  a  fearful  serpent,  which  enlaced  them, 
and  tied  the  two  brothers  together,  apparently 
deprived  of  life. 

The  effect  of  this  catastrophe  was  immense. 
Sugriva,  Nila,  Hanuman,  and  the  other  chiefs 
came  together.  Copious  tears  were  shed  by 
the  rudest  animals  of  the  army.  The  sight 
of  the  two  illustrious  sons  of  Dasaratha,  still 
pale  and  bathed  in  blood,  was  heartrending. 

The  boastful  Indrajit  drove  straight  to 
Lanka.      He  reported  at  once  to  his  father  : 


I40  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

''  Thy  foes,  O   son  of  Usrava,  are  now  no 
more  !" 

Ravana  was  overjoyed.  He  thought  at 
once  :  "  When  Sita  hears  this  she  will  join 
my  zenana,  and  I  will  give  her  thousands  of 
pearls  and  diamonds." 

It  then  struck  the  malicious  old  goblin 
that  the  sight  of  the  corpses  of  the  two 
brothers  would  help  his  suit.  He  ordered 
his  car  to  be  harnessed,  and  made  the  female 
demons  carry  Sita  on  it  to  view  the  dead 
bodies. 

sitA's  lament. 

*'  They  vowed  they  could  read  veiled  heaven's  designs, 
The  Holy  Priests  that  looked  me  through  : — 
'  Fine  arms,  fine  figure,'  the  twelve  great  signs ; 
'  Bright  eyes  and  a  face  that  'twas  bliss  to  view '; 
*  A  widow  she 
Will  never  be  : 
Her  throne  will  stretch  from  sea  to  sea.' 

"  But  where  is  my  spouse,  and  where  my  throne, 
O  false  expounders  of  coming  years  ? 
Time's  mighty  wave  lays  all  things  prone, 
Bold  Rama  in  blood,  and  me  in  tears. 

What  gods  did  deem 

A  mighty  scheme, 
Has  mixed  with  the  mists  of  an  idle  dream. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  141 

"  The  brothers  had  clothes  that  the  devas  lend 
To  ward  off  arrows  by  potent  spell, 
Weird  weapons  as  well  whose  shaft  could  send 
A  thousand  foes  to  the  gates  of  hell. 

But  they  suffered  harms, 

For  demon  arms 
Can  mock  invulnerable  charms. 

**  A  peerless  husband  and  love's  content 
Were  bridal  gifts  to  a  blissful  wife ; 
But  poison  was  changed  for  blandishment, 
And  Ravan  he  came  to  mar  my  life. 

His  mighty  spell 

Binds  fast  in  hell 
The  woman  whose  sin  is  to  love  too  well. 

"  The  ken  of  the  priest  is  stayed  by  a  shroud. 
And  the  ken  of  gods  both  small  and  great ; 
Daivan  ^  he  dwells  behind  a  cloud, 

A  screen  that  none  can  penetrate. 

One  thing  is  clear — 

With  Rama  here 
I  call  aloud,  and  he  cannot  hear." 

The  poor  Queen  at  this  point  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears. 

But  a  Rakshasi,  a  female  demon  who  had 
been  sent  in  the  chariot  to  look  after  the 
Queen,  tried  to  comfort  her  ;  this  woman  was 
Trijati.  She  had  become  attached  to  the 
gentle  Sita. 

^  The  Indian  Destiny. 


142  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"Monarch,"  she  said,  ''wherefore  these 
tears  ?" 

"  Is  not  my  husband  killed  ?"  said  the 
poor  Queen.  *'  The  illustrious  descendant  of 
Raghu  lies  transfixed  with  arrows." 

"  Go  to,"  said  the  night  wanderer,  ''  an 
army  that  loses  its  chief  flies  like  wolves  and 
dogs.  Observe  the  army  of  your  husband. 
They  are  full  of  wrath,  and  cry  aloud  for  the 
battle." 

''  We  have  had  enough  of  battles,  O 
Trijati,"  said  Sita. 

'*  And  mark  this,  great  Princess  :  Death 
discolours  the  face  and  mars  the  limbs.  The 
hero  that  to-day  shines  like  Kama,  the  god 
of  love,  or  Kartekeya,  the  god  of  war, 
becomes,  on  the  morrow,  swollen,  discoloured, 
loathsome.  Watch  thy  husband,  O  woman 
of  Mithila ;  watch  thy  brother,  the  renowned 
Lakshmana.  They  lie  still,  but  their  faces 
are  not  discoloured.  They  show  not  the 
change  of  death." 

The  woman  Trijati  prophesied  truly  in  the 
case  of  Rama.  The  loyal  Vibhishana  came 
up,  and  was  able  with  his  magical  knowledge 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  143 

by-and-by  to  restore  Rama  to  consciousness. 
When  the  Prince  was  able  to  take  in  what 
had  occurred,  and  saw  the  body  of  his 
brother,  he  was  terribly  afflicted  : 

rAma's  lament. 

"  With  Lanka's  gloomy  shore, 
Say  what  have  I  to  do,  O  cruel  Fate  ; 
Thy  false  prognostics,  bound  around  his  head 

In  blood,  dead  Lakhsman  lies. 

"  With  Sita,  too, 
Say  what  have  I  to  do— a  sterner  thought ; 
A  wife  as  fair  t'were  easy  to  obtain, 
But  comrade,  counsellor,  and  brother  tried. 
Prop  to  the  weak,  and  calm  to  the  despairing, 
In  what  direction  shall  my  footsteps  turn 

To  find  his  like  ? 

"  Two  mothers  claim  my  love  ; 
Kausalya  gave  me  birth  and  tended  me ; 
And  Sumitra  was  married  to  my  father, 
And  when  I  tell  her  that  her  son  is  dead. 
Like  the  sea-eagle  o'er  the  bellowing  wave. 
Her  scream  will  pass,  and  she  will  say  to  me, 
'  Give  me  my  son  !'     How  shall  I  find  him  for  her  ? 

"  His  mighty  spear  and  shafts 
Tore  through  the  battle  of  the  demon  crew 
And  spread  around  dismay  unquenchable — 
And,  like  the  sun  who  quits  the  world  on  clouds. 

We  saw  his  glory  brightest  at  the  end. 


144  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"  A  shame  has  come  to  me, 
A  mighty  shame,  a  grief  unbearable, 
That  I  should  e'er  have  brought  him  to  this  doom ; 
He  raised  my  courage  when  it  needed  help, 

Not  now  can  he  console. 

"  A  comrade  bold  and  tried, 
He  followed  me  to  wastes  calamitous, 
And  in  return  'tis  right  I  follow  him 
To  the  black  palaces  of  gruesome  Yama, 

The  King  of  Death.i 

"  Sugriva,  noble  chief, 
I  promised  victory,  I  promised  spoils, 
And  Ravan's  throne  to  Vibhishana  bold, 

Boasts  empty  all ; 
Lead  forth  the  army  back  across  the  straits, 
Let  Angad  guide  the  van  with  watchful  care 

Depart  whilst  yet  you  may.^ 

"  Nobly  you  all  have  fought — 
Angad,  Mainda,  Dwivida,  Sushen  ; 

Nor  let  us  e'er  forget 
Sampati  and  Sarabha  and  Gavuksha, 

And  many  other  chieftains  silent  now. 

They  fell  like  heroes. 

1  "  Yet,  my  Patroclus  !  yet  a  space  I  stay, 

Then  swift  pursue  thee  on  the  darksome  way." 

Pope's  "Iliad,"  XVHL 

2  "  Why  leave  we  not  the  fatal  Trojan  shore, 

And  measure  back  the  seas  we  cross'd  before  ? 
The  plague  destroying  whom  the  sword  would  spare, 
'Tis  time  to  save  the  few  remains  of  war." 

Pope's   "  Iliad,"  I. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  145 

"  For  man  to  cope  with  Daivan  fell, 
The  mighty  destiny  that  hides  his  face  ^ 

Is  vain,  Sugriva. 

And  e'en  should  Victory  smile. 
With  Lakshman's  shameful  death  and  Sita's  doom, 

What  happiness  for  me  !" 

This  is  a  tremendous  climax.  Its  pathos 
is  scarcely  outranged  in  the  whole  of  the 
world's  fiction.  What  a  picture !  What  a 
background  !  And  what  a  situation,  worked 
up  as  it  has  been,  step  by  step,  from  a  long 
way  off!  Can  the  same  be  said  of  Homer's 
verses,  when  Achilles  laments  the  fate  of 
Patroclus  ?  Let  us  compare  the  two. 
Lakshmana  from  the  day  of  his  birth  has 
followed  Rama  like  a  faithful  dog.  Of  his 
own  choice  he  went  with  him  to  a  banish- 
ment in  the  pitiless  forest  that  meant  his  own 
effacement.  Willingly  he  accompanied  his 
brother  to  storm  hell,  and  slaughter  the 
Prince   of  the    devils — Valmiki  paints  with 

^  "  The  stroke  of  fate  the  strongest  cannot  shun  : 
The  great  Alcides,  Jove's  unequall'd  son, 
To  Juno's  hate  at  length  resign'd  his  breath. 
So  shall  Achilles  fall !  stretch'd  pale  and  dead." 
Pope:  '*  Iliad,"  XVIII. 
10 


146  RAMA  and  homer 

big  brushes.  Rama  has  a  wondrous  dower. 
He  is  promised  the  sceptre  of  India.  He  is 
promised  an  unexampled  career.  He  is  to 
be  a  man-at-arms  unequalled  in  the  world's 
history.  He  is  to  win  battles  that  the  gods 
themselves  have  despaired  of.  To  him  and 
his  brother  have  been  given  enchanted 
weapons  that  nothing  can  resist  ;  enchanted 
armour  that  nothing  can  pierce.  Moreover, 
the  young  Prince  has  been  given  for  a  wife 
a  lady  whose  sweet  qualities  and  also  whose 
beauty  were  pronounced  peerless  in  her  day  ; 
and  they  have  set  India  raving  about  her  for 
fifty  centuries. 

And  now  all  these  promises  appear  to  the 
poor  Prince  to  have  been  broken  one  by  one. 
The  sceptre  of  India  comes  to  him,  but  a  vow 
has  been  extracted  that  he  will  remain  in  the 
deadly  forests  of  India  for  fourteen  years, 
which  practically  seems  to  mean  his  extinction 
and  the  withdrawal  of  the  boon.  He  is  given 
a  large  army  to  battle  with  the  Yakshas,  but 
instead  of  victory  comes  humiliating  defeat. 
He  is  given  a  pure  and  loving  wife,  but  she 
has  been  captured    by    a  fiend.      And    now 


RAMA'S  bridge  147 

comes  the  last  blow  of  all.  The  charms  and 
the  invulnerable  garments  have  proved  a 
ghastly  delusion  as  well  as  everything  else. 
''  Wind-dart,"  ''  Fire-dart,"  "  Man-dart,"  have 
all  failed,  and  nothing  has  come  of  "  Bull,"  or 
"  Man-eater,"  or  "  Ten-eyes,"  excepting  this 
— that  the  corpse  of  faithful  Lakshmana  lies 
buried  in  honourable  gore,  and  poor  Rama 
himself,  smarting  with  many  wounds,  lies  the 
next  thing  to  dead  beside  him. 

We  now  come  to  Achilles.  Patroclus  is 
called  a  "  squire,"  but  the  chief  military  duty 
of  these  squires — namely,  the  driving  of  the 
chief's  chariot — was  performed  by  Autome- 
don,  a  special  charioteer,  who  alone  could 
guide  the  deathless  horses  of  Jove.  Patro- 
clus performed  offices  almost  servile — roast- 
ing fat  chines,  pouring  out  wine  to  the  guests, 
making  up  the  bed  of  Phoenix,  escorting 
slave-girls  for  other  men.  Also  he  considers 
Achilles  a  severe  master.  He  says  to 
Nestor  : 

"  Well  dost  thou  know,  old  man,  fosterling 
of  Zeus,  how  terrible  a  man  he  is  ;  lightly 
would  he  blame  even  one  that  is  blameless." 


148  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Now,  it  can  scarcely  be  contended  that  the 
story  of  Achilles  reaches  the  depths  of  pathos 
and  the  altitudes  of  religious  feeling  of  the 
Indian  story,  nor  can  it  be  contended  that 
that  haphazard  tale  can  vie  with  it  in  the 
matter  of  construction.  Its  crux  is  the  affec- 
tion of  Achilles  for  Patroclus.  But  was  he  so 
very  affectionate  ? 

Says  Achilles  : 

"  A  generous  friendship  no  cold  medium  knows, 
Burns  with  one  love,  with  one  resentment  glows ; 
One  should  our  interests  and  our  passions  be ; 
My  friend  must  hate  the  man  that  injures  me. 
Do  this,  my  Phoenix,  'tis  a  generous  part ; 
And  share  my  realms,  my  honours,  and  my  heart."  ^ 

That  is  a  fine  passage,  but  it  is  not 
addressed  to  Patroclus,  although  it  was 
uttered  within  a  few  hours  of  his  death.  And 
if  we  rise  from  mere  technique  to  motif,  can 
the  thought  that  created  Achilles  and  his 
petty  squabble  be  compared  for  a  moment  to 
the  thought  that  conceived  Rama,  his  giant 
ambitions  and  his  mighty  woes  ?  Achilles 
believed  that  he  could  give  the  victory  to  the 
beaten  Greeks  at  any  moment. 
1  Pope :  "  Iliad,"  IX. 


rAma's  bridge  149 

"The  glorious  combat  is  no  more  my  care  ; 
Not  till,  amidst  yon  sinking  navy  slain, 
The  blood  of  Greeks  shall  dye  the  sable  main  ; 
Not  till  the  flames,  by  Hector's  fury  thrown. 
Consume  your  vessels,  and  approach  my  own  : 
Just  there,  the  impetuous  homicide  shall  stand, 
There  cease  his  battle,  and  there  feel  our  hand."  ^ 

If  he  thought  this,  why  did  he  send  Patro- 
clus,  who  had  not  been  held  by  the  heel  in  the 
Styx,  to  certain  and  unnecessary  death?  It 
may  be  urged  that  Patroclus  was  not  intended 
really  to  fight  ;  but  a  single  warrior  cannot 
put  to  flight  an  army  of  ,50,000  men  without 
some  simulacrum  of  battle.  Homer's  borrow- 
ings seem  haphazard  and  contradictory.  Jove 
has  one  object,  the  safety  of  Troy,  and  yet 
we  see  him  restoring  with  his  ambrosia  the 
ailing  champion  of  the  foe,  and  giving  him  his 
own  chariot  wherewith  to  gallop  over  the  bold 
fighting-men  that  were  loyally  fighting  his 
(the  Thunderer's)  battle.  We  see  the  god  of 
the  Greeks  fighting  against  the  Greeks  ;  we 
see  the  champion  of  justice  and  purity  defend- 
ing rape  and  treachery  and  the  breach  of 
marriage  vows ;  we  see  a  fond  father,  the 
wielder  of  the  terrible  thunderbolt  and  the 
1  Pope:  "Iliad,'  IX. 


150  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

bearer  of  the  aegis,  unable  to  save  his 
favourite  son  from  a  dressed -up  mounte- 
bank, the  mere  simulacrum  of  a  fighting-man; 
we  see  the  omniscient  hoodwinked  by  a  pert 
young  goddess,  who  is  able  to  trick  him  out 
of  his  champion  defender,  the  mighty  Hector, 
by  dressing  up  and  personating  that  cham- 
pion's arms-bearer,  and  then  treacherously 
leaving  him  without  arms  in  the  middle  of  the 
fight  ;  and,  finally,  we  see  the  gods  crowd 
eagerly  round,  not  to  watch  a  mighty  struggle, 
as  in  India,  where  wrong  is  pitted  against 
right,  and  the  false  and  malignant  gods  of 
a  vast  tract  of  country  are  battling  for 
supremacy  with  the  pure  gods  of  another 
huge  region,  but  to  behold  the  caprice  and 
braggadocio  exhibitions  of  Achilles.  In  an 
earlier  Greek  myth,  Castor  and  Polydeuces 
and  Helen  are  all  three  children  of  Jupiter. 
The  Dioscuri  are  battling  to  bafile  a  foul 
wrong,  and  we  may  presume,  I  think,  that 
the  god  of  gods  would  be  fighting  on  the 
side  of  purity  and  justice  and  on  the  side  of 
his  children.  I  allude  to  the  story  of  Helen 
and  Theseus. 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  151 

Let  us  turn  now  to  poor  Lakhsmana. 

His  body  was  brought  in,  and  at  the 
suggestion  of  Jambavan,  Hanuman  produced 
a  celebrated  physician  from  Lanka,  who 
directed  that  someone  should  be  despatched 
to  a  certain  hill  in  the  north,  where  alone,  he 
said,  a  remedy  could  be  obtained. 

This  mountain  was  called  Gandha-Madana. 
It  was  declared  to  be  part  of  the  mountain 
Meru,  which  springs  up  from  the  centre  of 
the  world.  Hanuman  himself  was  deputed 
to  go  and  fetch  the  desired  simples. 

But  Ravana  got  by  some  magical  means  to 
know  of  this  mission,  and  he  had  an  uncle,  a 
great  enchanter,  named  Kala  Nemi.  A  plot 
was  hatched  to  destroy  Hanuman.  Kala 
Nemi  preceded  him  to  the  Gandha-Madana 
mountain.  He  disguised  himself  as  a  hermit 
devotee,  and  accosted  the  monkey  magician, 
inviting  him  to  his  hermitage.  Hanuman 
refused,  and  went  to  bathe  in  a  neighbouring 
tank.  A  huge  crocodile  seized  his  foot,  and 
a  great  struggle  ensued.  The  crocodile  was 
dragged  out  of  the  water  and  destroyed  ;  but 
lo   and  behold  !  from  its   carcase  emerged  a 


152  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

beautiful  woman.  By  a  spell  from  Daksha, 
the  son  of  the  Universal  Mother,  she  had 
been  condemned  to  remain  in  the  body  of  the 
huge  reptile  until  released  by  Hanuman.  She 
told  him  to  beware  of  Kala  Nemi.  Hanu- 
man at  once  returned  to  Kala  Nemi  and  told 
him  that  he  had  discovered  his  treachery. 
He  seized  him  and  killed  him. 

Then  the  monkey,  being  perhaps  a  poor 
botanist,  was  at  a  loss  when  attempting  to 
gather  the  revivifying  herbals.  What  could 
he  do  ?  Boldly  he  seized  the  whole  Gandha- 
Madana  mountain  and  carried  it  across  India, 
herbals  and  all.  This  feat  may  shock 
University  Dons,  who  in  solemn  black  gowns 
allot  prizes  for  masterpieces  in  Latin  verse, 
but  the  groundlings  are  made  quite  mad  with 
delight  when  they  see  the  monkey  and  his 
mountain  on  the  stage  in  India.  The  great 
dramatic  festival  of  the  Ram  Lila  used  to 
take  place  once  a  year  in  the  barrack  square 
of  my  old  Bengal  regiment.  Hanuman's  feat 
was  the  most  popular  scene,  with,  perhaps, 
the  exception  of  the  waking  up  of  Ravana's 
sleeping  brother,   Kumbhakarna,   with    tom- 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  i53 

toms,  trumpets,  crackers,  the  bellowing  of 
bulls,  etc.  In  real  life  the  giant  had  a  head 
as  big  as  St.  Paul's  dome  and  a  leg  nearly  as 
big  as  the  geographical  leg  marked  "  Italy" 
in  the  map.  The  monkey  army  swarmed  on 
his  body  in  the  fight  like  so  many  mosquitoes, 
and  he  coolly  swallowed  dozens  and  dozens 
of  enemies,  oxen,  sheep,  etc.  He  made  only 
two  meals  a  year,  but  these  so  exhausted  the 
resources  of  the  country  that  Brahma  con- 
demned him  to  live  in  hell.  There  he  slept 
for  six  months  at  a  time  ;  then  he  woke  up 
for  a  day,  had  a  huge  feast,  and  went  off  to 
sleep  for  another  six  months. 

When  called  upon  by  his  brother  for  aid 
against  Rama,  before  he  took  to  the  field  he 
drank  2,000  jars  of  liquor.  He  dashed  down 
Sugriva,  the  monkey  chieftain,  with  a  huge 
rock.  In  the  end  he  was  slaughtered  by 
Rama. 

Rdmas  Crucial  Woe. 

In  the  lament  of  Rama,  one  point  perhaps 
may  have  struck  the  reader — the  matter-of- 
fact,  almost  heartless,  way  in  which  he  talks 


154  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

of  Sita.  This  certainly  was  my  thought 
when  I  first  read  it.  That  is  the  crucial 
pathos  of  all.  The  proud  Prince  tries  to 
hide  the  extreme  depth  of  his  overwhelming 
calamities — the  personal  question.  Rama's 
love  for  Sita  is  his  life  in  epitome.  But  to 
that  love  has  come  a  puzzle,  a  mystery,  a 
crushing  blow.  In  the  zenana  of  the  lustful 
fiend  Ravana  has  the  daughter  of  Janaka 
been  defiled  ?  A  second  question,  perhaps 
even  more  important  than  the  first.  Has  she 
been  seduced  mentally  by  the  diamonds  and 
pearls  that  Ravana  captured  from  his  brother 
Kuvera,  the  god  of  gold  ?  These  have  been 
most  appropriately  stored  in  the  lowest  hell. 
Both  these  terrible  questions  have  racked  the 
poor  Prince  day  and  night.  But  now  the  great 
drama  takes  an  unexpected  development. 
Indrajit,  the  powerful  magician  of  the  demon 
hosts,  carries  on  a  battle  in  which  success 
shifts  from  one  army  to  the  other.  Malignant 
and  powerful,  he  determines  to  wound  Rama 
with  a  magical  dart  that  no  magical  armour 
can  arrest.  By  his  weird  arts  he  makes  up 
a  phantom   of   Sita,   and  carries  her   along 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  155 

with  him  in  his  car  to  the  centre  of  the 
invading  hosts.  "  These  saw,"  says  the 
poem,  "on  the  chariot  of  Indrajit,  Stta  in 
bitter  grief,  with  her  long  hair  tied  up  into 
one  knot,  the  jdta  of  the  ascetics,  defiant, 
worn  to  a  shadow  by  fasting. 

"At  the  sight  of  the  woman  of  Mithila 
seated  on  that  car,  voiceless,  her  limbs  sullied 
with  impurities,  it  is  said  the  bystanders 
were  cut  to  the  heart.  Hanuman  and  the 
monkeys,  believing  that  the  demon  was  about 
to  kill  the  real  Sita,  shouted  out  furious 
remonstrances,  which  only  amused  the 
malignant  Rakshasa. 

"  The  son  of  Ravana  drew  out  his  sword 
from  its  scabbard,  and  burst  into  a  fit  of 
laughter. 

"  When  he  had  armed  himself  with  this 
excellent  brand,  he  seized  the  phantom  of 
Stta  by  her  abundant  hair.  She  screamed 
out  the  words  '  Rama,  Rama  !'  in  heart- 
rending tones. 

"  Then  Indrajit  struck  with  his  sharp 
sword  the  weeping  phantom.  As  a  thread, 
so  was  severed  the  life  of  this  fair  anchorite. 


156  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Her  majestic  form  fell  to  the  bottom  of  his 
car." 

The  terrible  spectacle  is  too  much  for  poor 
Rama.      He  falls  down  in  a  faint. 


Death  of  hidrajit. 

But  the  power  of  the  magician  Indrajit 
became  more  tremendous  day  by  day. 
Monkeys  and  bears  were  struck  down  in 
thousands;  and  their  officers,  as  in  Homer, 
had  to  use  very  strong  words  to  them  to 
make  them  fight  at  all.  Rama  was  despair- 
ing, and  even  calm  and  bold  Lakshmana, 
restored  to  life,  was  almost  without  hope. 
One  day  Vibhishana  spoke  very  seriously  to 
the  Pride  of  the  Race  of  Raghu  : 

''  The  success  of  my  nephew  Indrajit  has 
a  cause,  O  brave  Prince,  and  that  cause  is 
magic.  I  have  intelligence  that  to-night  this 
potent  and  astute  magician  is  about  to  work 
a  terrific  spell  in  the  Chaitya  of  Nikumbhila. 
Should  it  go  on  unmolested,  it  is  difficult  to 
say  what  would  happen.  He  would  become 
invincible,     almost     omnipotent.      I     would 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  157 

suggest,  O  Pride  of  the  Race  of  Raghu,  that 
the  hero  Lakshmana  should  be  sent  to  attack 
him  in  the  middle  of  his  sortilege." 

This  advice  was  taken,  and  Indrajit  was 
killed. 

The  Lament  of  Ravana  for  his  son  has 
been  compared  to  the  Lament  of  Priam. 

"  O  conqueror  of  Indra,  valiant  son  ! 
First  of  my  host !     Say,  whither  art  thou  gone  ? 
Thy  whizzing  shafts,  controlled  with  deadly  eye. 
Tore  the  round  shield  or  pierced  the  panoply, 
And  doomed  each  stricken  chief  in  soaking  blood 

to  die. 
Earth  was  aghast.     Confusion  stalked  around  : 
And  all  the  war  approached  the  Holy  Mound  ; 
The  gods  grew  pale,  the  Rishis  plied  their  spells, 
Or  fled  disconsolate  to  hidden  cells. 
But  gone  these  matchless  feats — O  bitter  woe ! 
By  fate  arrested  and  young  Lakshman's  bow. 
Proud  Lanka's  rule  was  balanced  on  thy  life, 
Salt  tears  bedecked  thy  mother  and  thy  wife. 
What  son,  O  Indrajit,  shall  tend  thy  sire, 
Close  his  fagged  eyes  and  light  the  funeral  pyre  ? 
From  the  wives'  palace  dismal  sounds  ascend, 
As  when  two  herds  of  elephants  contend  ; 
Complaint  enormous,  desolate  and  fell. 
It  wanders  wave  on  wave  through  heaven  and  hell. 
Lakshman  and  Rama  boast  upon  the  shore. 
And  gods  on  Mandar  sleep  in  peace  once  more." 


158  RAMA  AND   HOMER 

Ravana  now  takes  the  field,  undeterred  by 
the  remonstrances  of  Mandodari  his  prin- 
cipal wife.  The  omens  are  unfavourable  at 
starting  : 

"  With  dust  the  world  of  sunlight  is  bereft, 
Foul  crows  and  vampires  circle  to  the  left, 
And  other  shrieking  birds,  and  from  their  throng 
A  special  group  of  vultures  sails  along. 
It  followed  Ravan's  car  from  spot  to  spot, 
As  seeking  prey  assigned  to  them  by  lot ; 
His  horses  wept  and  from  their  nostrils  came — 
Appalling  omen  ! — lurid  spires  of  flame  ; 
Enormous  serpents  glitter  in  the  brake, 
Wild  dogs  and  wolves  run  howling  in  his  wake ; 
And  on  the  breeze  from  feasting  jackal's  throat 
Comes  from  afar  a  dolorific  note. 
His  pennon  snaps,  the  monster  as  he  rides 
Shows  hues  unearthly  glinting  from  his  sides  ; 
Bright  yellow,  greenish,  coppery,  and  red, 
The  weird  discoloration  of  the  dead  ; 
The  God  that  holds  the  vajra  throned  on  high 
With  inauspicious  meteors  lights  the  sky. 
And  at  each  pause  of  gloom  and  blinding  storms 
Keen  eyes  can  trace  aloft  appalling  forms, 
As  if  the  war  had  lured  from  blessed  abodes 
Rishis  and  Siddhis,  bright  Gandharves  and  gods. 
And  now  great  ruddy  clouds  are  seen  on  high, 
All  changed  the  swelling  cisterns  of  the  sky. 
Large  drops  come  first  and  then  a  monstrous  flood — 
Amazing  omen  ! — 'tis  a  shower  of  blood." 


RAMA'S  bridge  159 

The  Death  of  Dasagriva. 

More  than  one  fearful  encounter  is  de- 
scribed. He  and  Rama  fight  constantly 
together  with  enchanted  weapons.  Ravana 
is  killed  at  last. 

"  Now  like  a  monstrous  cloud  when  meads  are  bright, 
That  changes  day  at  once  to  darkest  night, 
Once  more  the  fated  Dasagriva  came, 
And  from  his  mouth  astounding  tongues  of  flame. 
Now  right,  now  left,  his  chariot  whirls  around, 
Shoots  to  the  skies,  or  hurries  to  the  ground. 
Half  animal,  half  human,  are  his  steeds, 
The  legs  of  horses  joined  to  human  heads. 
His  shafts  have  serpent  forms  of  fiery  light, 
But  Rama's  arrows  check  them  in  their  flight ; 
One  arrow  lowers  the  demon's  banneret, 
A  ghastly  head  upon  a  ground  of  jet. 
From  monkeys'  throats  loud  shouts  of  joy  arise, 
Mixed  with  approval  from  the  distant  skies. 
Another  happy  shaft  struck  ofl"  his  head, 
When  lo  !  another  figured  in  its  stead. 
Shaft  follows  shaft,  and  Das'arath's  brave  son 
Strikes  Dasagriva's  heads  off  one  by  one. 
Then  up  spake  Matali,  the  charioteer  : 
'  Champion  of  Heaven,  O  mortal  without  fear, 
Thy  blows  are  vain.     This  ranger  of  the  Night, 
What  boots  it  thus  his  many  heads  to  smite  ? 
Dost  thou  not  see,  O  Pride  of  Raghu's  race. 
When  one  is  lopped  another  takes  the  place  ? 


i6o  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Not  thus  his  conquest  on  the  battlefield  ; 
His  magic  art  protects  him  like  a  shield. 
Take  Brahma's  Chakra,  by  Agastya  given, 
The  Brahmas'iras,  bolt  conferred  by  Heaven, 
Winged  by  the  wind  and  tipped  with  Agni's  fire ; 
It  carries  Mandar's  weight  and  Brahma's  ire. 
Launch  this,  O  Pride  of  Raghu,  on  thy  foe — 
Not  thine,  but  Brahma's,  arm  will  guide  the  blow. 
Aim  at  his  navel,  through  the  armour  joint, 
His  secret  there — the  vulnerable  point. 

^  ^  >','  ^  ^ 

Now  see  on  Indra's  car  brave  Rama  stand, 
The  awful  Chakra  flaming  in  his  hand. 
Portentous  issue,  weird  enough  to  scare 
The  gods  upraised  in  crystal  fields  of  air. 
Ravan  is  mighty.     Ravan's  deeds  of  arms 
Have  filled  the  three  great  worlds  with  huge  alarms. 
Earth,  heaven  and  hell — and  now  the  crucial  hour 
Will  show  all  flesh  where  sides  the  Almighty  power. 
Indra  and  Brahma  watch  the  fateful  dart, 
And  all  the  spheres  are  hushed  to  see  it  start. 
Off  speeds  the  Chakra  to  the  demon  fell, 
Divides  the  steel  and  mocks  each  cunning  spell, 
Smites  Das'agriva  with  resistless  force, 
And  burns  and  tears  his  navel  in  its  course ; 
Then  topples  downward  with  a  mighty  roar 
Th'  unmeasured  giant  in  a  lake  of  gore, 
And  Lanka's  frighted  isle  doth  shake  from  shore  to 
shore." 

On  the  death  of  the  "  Ten-headed,"  Rama 
announced  that  his  brother  Vibhishana  was 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  i6i 

to  succeed  him.  He  also  commanded  im- 
perial obsequies  for  the  defeated  monarch. 
Vibhishana  conducted  these,  and  the  corpse, 
attired  in  its  royal  robes,  was  placed  on  a 
vast  pile  of  scented  chandan  wood.  Flowers 
and  scented  oils  were  there  in  profusion,  and 
a  black  goat  was  slaughtered.  Does  not  this 
clemency  suggest  another  coincidence  that 
goes  beyond  even  the  striking  details  of  the 
births  of  Sita  and  Helen?  We  have  two 
Ramas,  one  who  behaves  in  this  generous 
manner,  and  the  other  who  drags  a  living  foe 
at  his  chariot-wheels,  the  last,  however,  only 
seen  in  the  dream  of  an  inspired  prophetess. 
He  was  a  symbolical  prophecy,  and  not  a 
man. 

But  the  Homeric  plagiarist  has  appro- 
priated both  these  literally,  not  caring  how 
badly  they  mix  together.  Achilles  drags  the 
living  chief  with  his  galloping  horses,  and 
offers  up  twelve  human  beings,  in  savage 
days  when  such  sacrifices  meant  food  for 
departed  souls.  And  the  same  Achilles  pays 
to  his  foe  a  tribute  that  goes  beyond  the 
chivalry   of   Marshal   Soult  in  the   presence 

II 


i62  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

of  the  dead  body  of  Sir  John  Moore. 
Achilles,  who,  it  may  be  mentioned,  does  not 
command  the  Greek  army,  orders  a  twelve 
days'  truce  between  the  contending  armies, 
and  sends  back  the  dead  Hector  with  m.uch 
pomp,  allowing  the  Trojans  to  fill  the  forests 
around,  and  pile  up  a  ''  mighty  sylvan  struc- 
ture," on  which  the  body  is  duly  burnt.  All 
this  was  possible  in  Laiika,  but  inconceivable 
in  the  scrub  and  marshland  round  Troy,  when 
every  little  stick  had  long  ago  been  burnt  for 
fuel.  And  Colonel  Muir  points  out,  very 
appositely,  that  in  the  mind  of  a  savage  like 
Achilles,  retribution  to  the  dead  as  well  as  the 
living  was  one  of  the  strongest  of  duties. 
M.  Fauche  holds  that  the  obsequies  of 
.Patroclus  were  purloined  from  those  for 
King  Dasaratha. 

Lakshmana,  in  obedience  to  the  commands 
of  Rama,  went  through  all  the  consecration 
ceremonies  prescribed  by  the  Sastras,  and 
unbruised  rice,  fried  grains,  sweetmeats  and 
flowers  were  presented  to  the  hero.  Then 
Rama  was  reminded  that  no  news  had  been 
sent  to  Sita.     Hanuman  was  despatched  to 


RAMA'S  bridge  163 

Vibhishana  to  ask  his  permission  that  she 
should  be  communicated  with.  The  request 
was  readily  granted  by  the  kind  giant. 

Soon  in  the  Queen's  palace  arrived  the 
monkey,  and  found  Sita  sad  and  pale,  and 
stripped  of  all  the  insignia  of  a  high-born 
lady. 

"Great  Queen,  success!  Thy  husband, 
the  brave  son  of  Raghu,  has  killed  Ravana. 
Did  I  not  bring  to  thee  a  promise  of  victory 
when  I  flew  across  Varuna's  wide  domains 
without  thinking  of  sleep  or  rest  ?  No  fear 
is  there  for  thee  to-day.  Thou  livest,  O 
woman  of  Mithila,  in  thine  own  palace." 

Sita  sprang  up  at  the  joyful  news.  She 
tried  to  speak,  but  happiness  choked  her 
words. 

''  What  art  thou  thinking  of,  great  Queen  ^ 
Why  dost  thou  not  answer  .^" 

''  It  is  joy  that  keeps  me  silent,"  said  the 
Queen  in  broken  words.  "  When  thou 
toldest  me  of  the  victory  of  my  husband, 
O  son  of  Vayu,  I  was  quite  unable  to  sound 
a  syllable." 

''  These  words,  O  Queen,  will  be  to  thy 


i64  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

husband  a  joy  greater  than  the  joy  of  his 
victory.  They  outvalue  a  present  of  many 
jewels.  These  foul  female  demons  that  have 
guarded  thee  and  insulted  thee,"  said  the  ape, 
looking  round  at  her  guards,  ''  will  now  suffer. 
I  will  tear  to  pieces  their  noses  and  ears." 

"  Do  you  not  remember  what  the  bear  in 
the  'Purana'  said  to  the  tiger  .^"  replied  the 
Queen,  smiling.  "  The  sinner  alone  can 
expiate  his  offence.  These  women  were 
servants." 

**What  shall  I  say  to  the  son  of  Raghu 
when  I  return  ?"  said  the  monkey. 

*'  Tell  him  that  his  Queen  has  only  one 
thought — that  is,  to  see  him  at  once.  ' 

"  With  the  joy  that  Sachi  sees  Indra  her 
spouse  wilt  thou  see  thy  husband,  and  he  will 
see  thee !" 

Hanuman  carried  back  the  words  of  Sita, 
but  they  did  not  produce  quite  the  effect  that 
the  son  of  Vayu  expected. 

Rama,  on  hearing  the  news,  was  silent  for 
some  time.  A  torrent  of  emotions  seemed 
to  struggle  under  his  enforced  calm.  Sud- 
denly he  burst  into  tears. 


rAma's  bridge  165 

"  Let  the  Princess  of  Mithil^  be  bathed 
and  scented  and  dressed  in  splendid  clothes. 
Let  her  be  crowned  with  rich  jewels,"  he 
said  curtly ;  "  then  let  her  be  brought 
before  me." 

Vibhishana  impatient  to  see  the  union  of 
the  lovers,  hurried  off  to  the  palace. 

**  Let  me  fly  to  him  at  once,"  said  the 
Queen  impatiently. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  good-humoured  giant, 
who  already  scented  calamity.  "  Better  to 
obey  thy  husband,  O  Queen,  and  bedeck 
thyself  as  he  desires." 

Sita  allowed  herself  to  be  guided  by 
Vibhishana. 

And  now  a  report  got  abroad  that  the 
beautiful  woman  of  Mithila  was  coming  out 
of  the  Royal  Palace.  At  once  all  the  soldiers 
of  the  conquering  army  collected  to  see  her 
pass,  as  the  Greeks  clustered  to  see  the 
beautiful  Helen. 

**What  must  this  woman  be  like,"  they 
cried,  *'in  whose  cause  myriads  of  the  rescu- 
ing army  have  been  killed  ?  Has  not  a 
mighty  sovereign  perished  on  her  account  ? 


i66  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Has  not  a  bridge,  in  length  lOO  yoganas, 
been  plumped  into  the  sea — rocks  and  cause- 
way?" 

As  these  words  were  being  repeated,  Sita, 
in  a  rich  litter,  appeared,  and  all  the  by- 
standers were  quite  thunderstruck  with  her 
amazing  beauty.  Then,  way  being  made 
through  the  thick  crowds  of  monkeys,  the 
palanquin  of  Sita  neared  the  presence  of  the 
King,  but  the  poor  woman  was  astonished 
that  she  received  no  greeting,  though  neither 
she  nor  anyone  else  guessed  what  tragedy 
was  marching  rapidly  onwards  to  its  fell 
catastrophe. 

After  a  pause  Rama,  who  had  been  giving 
orders  about  the  crowding  soldiers,  said  to 
Hanuman  : 

"  These  crowds  come  near  to  see  a  great 
lady.  Why  should  they  not  ?  Let  her  get 
out  of  her  palanquin  that  they  may  see  her 
better." 

There  was  a  bitterness  in  these  tones  that 
all  the  Vanars  perceived,  and  a  mighty  fear 
came  over  all,  that  as  of  an  advancing  calamity. 

The   Queen,  pale    and  worn-looking,   but 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  167 

overjoyed,  went  modestly  up  to  her  beloved 
husband,  and  all  were  quite  astonished  at 
her  amazing  beauty.  They  said  :  "  She  is 
Prabha  "  (radiance  personified). 

Rama  gazed  at  his  wife  for  a  moment, 
and  then  turned  his  eyes  away  suddenly, 
petulantly. 

Sita  understood  her  husband  better  than 
anyone  else.  She  had  dreamt  of  this  meeting 
on  many  a  hard  couch.  She  had  prayed  for 
it  daily  and  nightly.  Was  it  to  become  a 
torture  greater  than  that  of  the  Rakshasas  of 
Ravana  in  the  Asoka  wood  ? 

Suddenly  Rama  spoke  : 

"  With  my  sword  and  my  bow,  noble  lady, 
I  have  rescued  thee  from  the  enemy ;  it 
remains  for  thee  bravely  to  perform  thy  part 
of  the  duties  which  matters  require.  I  have 
quenched  my  rage  and  wiped  away  my  dis- 
honour. With  the  same  blow  I  have  struck 
down  my  foeman  and  his  insults. 

"  A  demon,  in  a  borrowed  appearance, 
seized  and  carried  you  away.  This  was 
Destiny.  But  these  acts  of  mine  are  small. 
Every  man  desires  revenge  for  an  outrage. 


i68  RAMA  and  homer 

"  We  crossed  the  seas.  Sugriva  exhibited 
great  skill  and  immense  valour.  Hanuman's 
efforts  were  almost  incredible.  The  whole 
army  was  persistent  and  unconquerable. 

''  But  take  note  of  this,  O  woman  of 
Mithila ;  all  this  has  been  done  for  my 
honour  and  not  for  thee.  Thou  hast  been 
snatched  from  the  hands  of  my  enemy  by  me 
in  my  rage,  but  it  was  to  wipe  away  the 
stains  on  the  escutcheon  of  a  noble  family. 
They  watch  dishonour  from  afar,  as  we 
watch  the  star  of  Agastya  (Canopus).  It  is 
something  that  the  race  of  Raghu  cannot 
reach.  Your  amazing  beauty,  O  daughter  of 
Janaka,  once  gave  me  great  joy,  but  it  now 
gives  me  great  pain.  We  must  separate 
never  to  meet  again." 

The  poor  lady  of  Mithila  seemed  quite 
beside  herself  with  consternation  and  agony. 
She  hid  her  face  in  the  folds  of  her  saree, 
and  the  movement  of  these  folds  betrayed 
her  tears.  Then,  suddenly  glancing  at  her 
husband,  she  said  in  broken  accents,  and  in 
a  low  voice  : 

*'  Husband,  dear  husband,  these  words  are 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  169 

harsh.     More  than  that,  they  are  unjust.      I 
have  been  true  to  thee." 

But  the  moody  imaginations  of  the  King, 
suppressed  and  concealed  in  his  inmost  soul 
for  many  days,  were  now  reaching  the  stage 
of  madness  ;  he  said  brutally,  "  Out,  strumpet, 
carry  thy  cajoleries  to  Lakshmana  or  to 
Sugriva,  or  to  Vibhishana,  the  chief  of  the 
Rakshasas." 

The  whole  assembly  were  thunderstruck  at 
this  strange  speech  ;  and  Vibhishana  and 
Sugriva  came  forward  to  remonstrate.  The 
bulk  of  the  Vanar  army  raised  exclamations 
of  dismay.  But  Sita,  who  at  first  seemed 
dazed  as  if  from  a  physical  blow,  now  raised 
her  hand  and  said  in  a  low  voice,  beckoning  to 
him  :   "  Lakshmana  !  " 

*'  I  listen,  sister,"  said  the  Prince  advanc- 
ing. 

"  Thou  hast  said  to  me  oft,  that  if  ever  I 
needed  a  protector,  a  friend,  I  could  turn  to 
thee.  Alas  !  Thou  seest  that  this  want  has 
now  come  to  me !" 

''  Dear  sister,"  said  Lakshmana,  who  felt 
for  the  Queen  more  than  anybody  there.     *'  I 


170  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

love  thee  more  than  ever.  We  are  not  all 
ourselves  this  morning  ;  the  fatal  hand  of  the 
demon  Ravana  is  in  everything !  " 

**  Brother,"  said  Sita  in  low  tones  which 
vibrated  in  the  inmost  soul  of  all  the  hearers, 
"  my  crushing  downfall  has  come,  not  from 
the  King  whom  I  spurned  and  outbraved, 
but  from  the  Kinor  to  whom  I  p^ave  a  love 
that  was  at  any  rate  all  the  love  1  had." 

Rama  had  seen  that  his  cruel  speech  had 
shocked  all  the  auditors.  He  tried  to  modify 
it  a  little  : 

"  Tell  the  Queen,"  he  said  to  his  brother, 
'*  that  the  Kshatriyas  of  the  race  of  Raghu 
cannot  put  up  with  even  the  appearance  of 
dishonour.  The  mothers  of  their  offspring 
must  be  perfectly  pure." 

"And  tell  the  King,"  said  Sita  suddenly, 
"  that  it  is  right  that  the  Kshatriyas  of  the 
race  of  Raghu  should  have  the  appearance 
of  purity,  but  the  race  of  the  Devas  need 
not  seem  pure.  They  are  pure.  My  nurses 
used  to  tell  me  that  I  was  Devi-born.  At 
any  rate  I  have  ever  lived  my  life  as  if  that 
was  the  truth." 


RAMANS  BRIDGE  171 

"  Sweet  Queen,  all  this  is  sad,"  said  Laksh- 
mana.  "  It  cuts  me  to  the  heart.  Would 
you  not  get  into  your  palanquin  and  come 
with  me  ?    It  is  better  to  keep  quiet  for  a  time." 

"  I  will  keep  quiet  for  a  time,  O  son  of 
Sumitra.  I  will  keep  quiet  for  a  long  time. 
Dost  think  that  I  am  ambitious  to  show 
myself  for  ever  where  folks  can  say  :  '  See 
yon  false  woman  whose  husband  guarantees 
her  dishonour  '  ?  " 

*'  This  cannot  go  on,"  said  Rama  to 
Lakshmana,  trying  for  appearance  sake  to 
speak  calmly. 

"  It  shall  not  go  on,  O  son  of  Sumitra," 
said  the  Queen  with  dignity.  "  Construct  at 
once  a  pile  of  the  sort  upon  which  dead 
Queens  are  committed  to  the  god  Agni." 

These  terrible  words  quite  appalled  the 
bystanders.  Sugriva  and  Vibhishana  came 
forward  to  try  and  dissuade  her  from  the 
mad  act.      Lakshmana  joined  his  prayers. 

But  a  new  woman  now  stood  before  them — 
a  new  Queen,  erect,  commanding,  of  surpris- 
ing dignity.  She  advanced  a  step  or  two, 
and  with  a  gesture  enforced  silence. 


172  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

"  The  ^astras  announce  that  a  woman 
who  is  accused  can  vindicate  her  honour  by 
an  ordeal  of  fire.      I  demand  the  privilege." 

''  That  is  a  fable  of  the  Brahmins,"  said 
Vibhishana,  who  naturally  was  not  a  slave  to 
their  ideas.  "It  is  a  cruel  fate  for  a  poor 
woman.  She  is  made  to  suffer  the  torture, 
and  in  addition  has  her  reputation  tainted 
after  death,  for  no  god  ever  brings  the  poor 
woman  back  to  life." 

"Back  to  life!  Why  should  he  .^ "  said 
Sita.  "  A  few  cruel  words  can  kill  a  woman's 
reputation,  a  million  cannot  restore  it." 

It  was  a  terrible  tragedy,  a  fit  denouement 
to  a  combat  of  gods  and  demi-gods — blind- 
ness, cruelty,  madness,  a  struggle  too  great 
for  mortals.  The  outraged  lady,  in  her 
pathetic  frenzy,  insisted  on  her  privilege, 
and  not  a  word  could  be  extracted  from  the 
angry  husband. 

Vibhishana  viewed  the  matter  from  the 
least  superstitious  point  of  view.  His  activity 
was  immense.  He  made  inquiries  in  the 
zenana  of  his  late  brother,  and  produced 
before  Rama  the  woman  Trijata,  who  affirmed 


RAMA'S  BRIDGE  173 

that  Ravana  had  not  molested  Sita,  he  be- 
lieving all  along  that  she  would  marry  him 
directly  Rama  was  killed.  She  mentioned 
also  the  incident  of  Sita's  refusal  to  escape 
with  Hanuman,  as  it  was  held  by  the 
Brahmins  that  any  contact  with  any  male 
besides  the  husband  was  a  defilement.  Rama 
was  at  length  aroused,  and  he  rushed  off 
frantically  to  the  place  of  the  burning.  But 
he  met  his  brother  Lakshmana,  who  described 
the  last  scene. 

**  Mark  my  bravery,"  said  the  poor  woman, 
pointing  to  her  jewels  as  she  ascended  the 
scaffold.  "  My  husband  ordered  me  to  wear 
them.     I  die  a  Maharani." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    EVIDENCE    OF    DION    CHRYSOSTOMOS 

The  Greek  writer,  Dion  Chrysostomos, 
believed  that  Homer  had  actually  been 
translated  into  the  language  of  India. 

Says  Monier  Williams,  Baden  Professor 
at  Oxford  : 

**  The  Greek  writer,  Dion  Chrysostomos, 
who  was  born  about  the  middle  of  the  first 
century,  and  was  especially  honoured  by 
the  emperor  Trajan,  mentions  (Or.,  LI  1 1. 
555)  that  records  existed  in  his  time  of 
epic  poems,  recited  by  the  Hindus  which 
had  been  copied  or  translated  from  Homer."  ^ 

Professor  Lassen  {"  Ind.  Alt.,"  HI.  346) 
has  urged  that  these  must  have  been  taken 
from  the  accounts  of  Megasthenes,  who  lived 
at  the  court  of  Candra-gupta,  312  B.C.  This 
view  of  his  is  accepted  by  Orientalists. 

Now,  here  we  get  the  ''  Ramayana  "  and 
1  "  Indian  Wisdom,"  p.  316. 
174 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS     175 

the  two  poems  of  Homer  face  to  face  at  an 
early  date,  /^llan  bears  a  similar  testimony 
And  the  French  Orientalist,  M.  Hippolyte 
Fauche,  is  quite  convinced  that  the  "  Iliad" 
was  borrowed  from  the  Indian  poem.  And  in 
the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  July  15,  1888, 
M.  Emile  Bumouf  announced  that  the  nine- 
teenth century  had  experienced  two  great 
surprises:  (i)  The  Indian  origin  of  much 
that  is  called  "  Christianity  "  ;  and  {2)  that 
the  Greek  epics  were  not  original,  and  that 
"  even  the  great  hordes  of  gods  and  men,  and 
their  muster  to  avenge  the  rape  of  a  pretty 
woman,  had  been  previously  made  into  a 
great  epic  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges." 

Professor  Monier  Williams  tells  us  that 
''  most  obvious  features  of  similarity  or 
difference  must  strike  every  classical  scholar 
who  contrasts  them  (the  "  Ramayana  "  and 
"  Maha-bharata")  with  the  "Iliad"  and  the 
"Odyssey."' 

Following  up  this  idea,  he  gives  several  of 
these    comparisons  :     The    noble    lament   of 
Mandodari  for  her  husband,   which  reminds 
1  Monier  Williams,  "  Indian  Wisdom,"  p.  310. 


176  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

him  of  the  lament  of  Andromache  ;  Ravana's 
lament  for  his  son  Indrajit,  which  reminds 
him  of  the  grief  of  Priam  ;  then  Helen  point- 
ing out  the  warriors  of  the  Greek  army  to 
Priam  reminds  him  of  Vibhishana,  pointing 
out  the  heroes  of  Lanka  to  Rama  from  an 
elevated  spot  ;  a  dream  consoles  the  forsaken 
Sita  ;  and  when  victory  has  come  to  the 
followers  of  Rama,  the  monkeys  crowd  round 
her,  admiring  her  incomparable  beauty,  the 
cause  of  so  much  danger,  toil  and  suffering 
to  themselves. 

"  The  whole  scene  is  very  similar  to  that 
in  'Iliad,'  III.  121,"  says  the  Professor, 
*'  where  Helen  shows  herself  on  the  rampart, 
and  calls  forth  much  the  same  kind  of 
admiration."  ^ 

"The  subject  of  both  poems,"  pursues  the 
Professor,  "  is  a  war  undertaken  to  recover 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  warriors  carried  off  by 
a  hero  on  the  other  side";  and  he  adds  that 
Rama  corresponds  to  Menelaus,  Sita 
answers  to  Helen,  Sparta  to  Ayodhya, 
Lanka  to  Troy,  Agamemnon  to  Sugriva, 
1  Monier  Williams,  **  Indian  Wisdom,"  p.  360  n. 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS     177 

Patroclus    to    Lakshmana,    Nestor   to    Jam- 
bavat. 

Now,  most  people  reading  thus  far  only, 
would  think  that  the  Professor  had  anticipated 
the  present  writer  in  his  theme,  and  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  ''  Iliad  "  had  drawn 
upon  the  "  Ramayana  "  for  some  of  its  inspira- 
tion. Not  a  bit  of  it.  He  holds  that  the  two 
works  are  quite  independent  one  of  the 
other.^ 

Another  authority,  much  greater,  must  be 
mentioned — Professor  Weber.  He,  at  any 
rate,  admits  connection  : 

**The  rape  of  Helen  and  the  Siege  of 
Troy  have  served  as  a  model  for  the  corre- 
sponding incidents  of  the  poem  of  Valmtki. 
.  .  .  I  content  myself  with  the  simple 
assumption  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
mutual  relations  which  Alexander's  expedi- 
tion into  India  brought  about,  some  kind  of 
knowledge  of  the  substance  of  the  Homeric 
story  found  its  way  to  India."  ^ 

I  have  already  contrasted  the  plot  of  the 

1  Monier  Williams,  "  Indian  Wisdom,"  p.  424  et  seq. 

2  See  also  "  Indian  Epics,"  p.  16  n. 

12 


178  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

*'  Iliad "  and  the  plot  of  Rama's  story  in 
Chapter  I.  In  one,  Rama,  with  Indra's 
chariot  and  horses  and  the  charioteer  Matali, 
advances  straight  to  the  ravisher  of  his  wife, 
and  slaughters  him  with  a  special  weapon — 
the  Brahmasiras  ;  in  the  other,  the  hero  has 
Jove's  chariot  and  horses  and  a  charioteer 
who  alone  can  guide  them.  Also  there  is  a 
special  arrow  that  alone  can  slaughter  the 
ravisher  of  Helen.  But  everything  goes 
awry.  The  arrow  of  Philoctetes  is  left  behind, 
and  Jove's  favourite  son  is  killed  by  the 
aid  of  the  celestial  horses  instead  of  the 
ravisher. 

Then  the  grave  crisis  in  India  is  due  to  a 
disturbing  fiend,  who  by  mistake  has  been 
rendered  invulnerable,  and  only  a  mortal  can 
kill  him.  In  the  Greek  story  it  is  the 
Avenger  that  has  been  dipped  in  the  Styx, 
and  he  prates  all  the  time  about  dying  too 
young,  and  sulks  near  the  ships,  and  allows 
half  of  them  to  be  burnt  by  the  foe.  Then 
the  invulnerable  avenger  meets  the  vulner- 
able ravisher,  but  the  invulnerable  avenger 
succumbs,  instead  of  Paris,  the  guilty  offender. 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS     179 

Putting  these  two  stories  by  each  other — 
the  one  consecutive,  pre-arranged,  sympa- 
thetic, probing  man's  schemes  and  sorrows  to 
their  inmost  depths  ;  and  the  other  contra- 
dictory, straggling,  each  incident  the  whim  of 
the  moment  —  we  may  ask  which  is  the 
original  and  which  the  copy.  Some  ideas, 
as  Herbert  Spencer  has  told  us,  are  "  un- 
thinkable." One  such  I  take  to  be  this  :  that 
a  grave  Asiatic  should  select  this  second 
splintered  plot,  and  try  to  make  up  with  it  a 
Bible  for  250,000,000  souls — the  Book  of 
Genesis  of  Hindustan. 

Professor  JacobL 

Whenever  I  mentioned  the  contention  of 
this  work  to  anyone  taking  an  interest  in 
Indian  antiquities,  the  name  of  Professor 
Weber  was  thrown  in  my  teeth.  But  another 
authority  —  a  decisive  authority  —  was  also 
mentioned,  Professor  Jacobi. 

There  are  one  hundred  and  one  points 
of  contact  between  the  "  Ramayana "  and 
Homer,  but  the  Professor  only  admits  one  — 


i8o  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

the  bow  used  by  Rama  and  also  by  Ulysses. 
He  admits  this  one  incident,  but  super- 
ciliously denies  the  remaining  hundred.  But 
what  would  be  said  of  Counsel  who  begged 
the  question  in  this  manner  in  a  law  court  ? 
Not  long  ago  the  sum  of  ^2,000  was  at 
stake  on  the  authorship  of  two  plays.  Let 
us  suppose  that  a  similar  sum  was  staked  on 
the  question  whether  Homer  had  pirated  the 
work  of  Valmiki.  Let  us  suppose,  too,  that 
when  the  Counsel  for  Valmiki  had  set  forth 
at  length  his  claims,  the  Counsel  for  Homer 
adopted  the  contemptuous  tone  of  Professor 
Jacobi,  and  "  refused  to  take  up  the  time 
of  the  Court  in  discussing  mere  coinci- 
dences !" 

Would  not  the  Judge  open  wide  his  eyes 
and  cry:  "Mere  coincidences,  gentlemen! 
What  am  I  to  judge  by  except  coincidences  ?" 
Literary  piracy  and  coincidences  are  identical 
words.  One  story  has  for  heroine  a  beautiful 
lady  born  of  a  swan,  with  the  Ruler  of  the 
Universe  for  male  parent.  The  other  story 
has  for  heroine  a  beautiful  lady  born  of  a 
swan,    with   the    Ruler  of  the    Universe    for 


^^ 


Jiartikeya 


HANUMAN  iP-  11^' 


THK    INDIAN    MARS  (/>■  273) 


hector's    body    at    the    CAR    OF    ACHILLES.  (/>■   161) 


,',   ..,  .,    ,   .    [Face/).  1!: 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS      i8i 

parent.  The  spot  whence  one  of  these  ladies 
emerged  from  her  egg  was  called  ''Sita" 
(furrow).  The  spot  where  the  other  lady 
emerged  from  her  egg  was  called  'YirEpMov — 
an  almost  similar  word.  Both  ladies  after 
marriage  were  carried  forcibly  from  their 
husbands  ;  and  large  armies  were  collected 
to  rescue  them.  The  reputation  of  each  was 
considerably  damaged  by  all  this  ;  but  in 
each  case  by-and-by  a  legend  was  invented 
that  only  a  phantom  of  the  lady  had  really 
been  carried  off. 

"  Now,  it  is  all  very  well,"  the  Judge  might 
have  added,  with  the  fine  irony  that  all 
Judges  effect,  "  It's  all  very  well  for  the 
defence  to  say  '  Pooh-bah,  that's  the  ordinary 
courtship  of  a  Jack  and  a  Jill!'  These  inci- 
dents have  at  least  a  superficial  resemblance 
the  one  to  the  other !" 

But  Professor  Jacobi  relies  much  more 
on  another  fact :  The  word  *'  Yavanas " 
(Greeks)  occurs  three  times  in  the 
*'  Ramayana";  and  the  Professor  gives  many 
learned  reasons  to  show  that  in  each  case 
the  passage   containing  it  is  spurious.      His 


i82  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

object  is  a  roundabout  one,  to  show  that  no 
body  of  Greeks  were  known  in  India  until 
the  advent  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and, 
therefore,  Greece  had  no  access  to  the  great 
Indian  epic. 

But  is  not  this  placing  rather  a  strain  on 
the  word  "  Yavana";  no  Greeks  might  have 
come  to  India;  but  might  not  an  Indian 
singer  have  wandered  through  Egypt,  or 
along  the  Red  Sea,  to  Greece  ?  That  is  a 
point  for  consideration  further  on. 

But  Professor  Jacobi  starts  one  argument 
really  important,  but  most  dangerous  to  his 
theories.  He  holds  that  Helen  in  her  own 
mind  broke  no  marriage  laws,  for  the  Greece 
of  her  day  had  no  knowledge  of  the  sanctity 
of  marriage.  "  The  stealing  of  women  in 
ancient  times,"  he  says,  "  and  amongst  a 
slightly  civilized  people,  is  a  widely-extended 
custom."  This  is  quite  true.  The  Greeks 
were  only  a  "slightly  civilized  people"!  In 
the  '*  Odyssey,"  especially,  they  show  as 
wreckers,  pirates,  cattle  and  wife  stealers. 
And  the  gods  are  as  primitive  in  their  ideas 
as  the  worshippers.     As  long  as  Chryseis  is 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS      183 

detained,  Apollo  slaughters  hundreds  of  inno- 
cent people  ;  but  when  she  is  restored,  he,  like 
Chryses  the  father,  seems  to  care  little  what 
has  been  done  to  her  ;  and  with  Menelaus 
we  get  much  the  same  callousness.  But  if 
the  Greeks  of  this  date  were  mere  pirates 
and  wreckers ;  if  they  viewed  the  stealing  of 
women  much  as  they  viewed  the  stealing 
of  sows  and  cows  ;  if  Helen  was  what  we  call 
corrupt  at  starting,  and  the  avenging  kings 
and  gods  were  accustomed  to  treat  such 
matters  merely  as  the  robbing  of  goods  and 
chattels,  the  whole  plot  of  the  "  Iliad  "  is 
inconsistent  and  unmeaning  to  a  degree. 
Why  should  many  clans  of  wife-stealers  cling 
together  and  battle  for  ten  hopeless  years 
about  a  paltry  event  that  happened  every 
day  ?" 

Professor  Jacobi,  writing  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Ce^itury,  has  for  all  evidence  his  own 
assertion  that  there  is  only  one  point  of 
contact  between  the  poems  of  Valmiki  and 
those  of  Homer — namely,  the  bending  of  a  bow 
in  both  poems.  But  the  matter-of-fact  Greek 
soldiers  at  the  Seven  Rivers  (320  B.C.)  deal- 


i84  RAMA  and  homer 

ine  not  alone  with  their  internal  conscious- 
ness,  but  with  the  nasal  chants  that  come  to 
them  from  every  Indian  bazaar,  were  quite 
convinced  that  Homer's  poems  and  Valmiki's 
poems  v/ere  translated  the  one  from  the 
other. 

These  Greek  soldiers  also  wreck  the  main 
contention  of  Professor  Weber  that  the 
''  Ramayana  "  first  appeared  as  a  Buddhist 
parable,  a.d.  400,  and  that  the  Homeric 
incidents  were  subsequently  added. 

I  will  ofive  a  sketch  of  the  little  Buddhist 
Jataka  which  the  Professor  deems  the  earliest 
version  of  the  "  Ramayana."  Three  children, 
Rama-Pundit,  his  sister  Sita-Devi,  and  his 
brother  Lakshmana- Pundit,  are  sent  to  a  rude 
hermitage  in  the  forest  by  their  father 
Dasaratha  of  Benares,  to  escape  a  step- 
mother, who  by  "  forged  writings "  plans 
their  death.  The  changes  in  the  story  here, 
and  their  motive,  are  obvious.  Sita  is  made 
Rama's  sister  because  a  Buddhist  celibate 
can  have  no  wife.  And  the  brothers  are 
made  ''  Pundits,"  though  mere  children,  in- 
stead of  bold  warriors.      "Sita-Devi"   also 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS      185 

tells  her  story  :  she  is  a  sister  to  a  mere 
mortal,  but  she  is  a  devi.  The  early  Valmiki 
plainly  knew  all  about  Brahmi's  egg.  The 
King  dies  ;  and  Bharata  comes  with  an  army 
to  tell  the  news.  Rama  receives  it  with  the 
extreme  of  callousness,  exclaiming :  "He 
who  torments  himself  becomes  lean  and 
cheerless."  (Can  this  author  really  be  the 
Valmiki,  who  can  still  move  two  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  of  admirers,  with  his 
Dantesque  picture  of  a  mightly  love  in  a 
Rama  changing  step  by  step  to  madness  ?) 
The  story  terminates,  like  all  Jatakas  (or 
births  of  the  Buddha),  by  revealing  that 
Rama-Pundit  is  Buddha  in  an  early  exist- 
ence ;  Dasaratha  is  King  Suddhodana,  his 
father;  Bharata  is  Ananda ;  and  Sita-Devi,  the 
sweet  wife,  Buddha's  companion  through  all 
the  Jatakas,  the  pure  Yasodara. 

Now,  I  believe  that  if  the  learned  Professor 
had  lived  amongst  the  Hindus  he  would 
have  seen  what  a  tremendous  question  he 
has  here  stirred  up.  It  is  quite  enough  to 
make  the  ample  tract  of  land  that  goes  by  the 
name  of  Hindustan   quake,   as   with  a   vast 


i86  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

upheaval,  from  one  end  to  the  other ;  and  its 
mountains  to  call  out  "  Cover  us." 

For  he  actually  maintains :  That  the 
Seventh  Great  Avatara  of  Vishnu,  named 
Rama,  was  unknown  in  India  until  900  years 
after  the  appearance  of  Buddha,  who  was 
Vishnu's  Ninth  Avatara.^ 

But  all  this  is  as  nothing  to  what  follows. 
The  Professor  gives  to  Valmiki  a  super- 
human task — namely,  to  cull  from  Homeric 
records  matter  that  can  change  his  little 
goody-goody  Jataka  into  the  vast  drama  of 
the  taking  and  burning  of  Lanka,  and  the 
death  of  the  ravisher.  Supposing  we  give 
in  to  the  Professor  for  a  moment,  and  try 
to  imagine  Valmiki,  with  Homer's  ''Iliad" 
before  him,  setting  about  his  gigantic  task. 
To  begin  with,  in  the  '*  Iliad  "  Troy  is  neither 
burnt  nor  taken,   nor   is    the  ravisher   Paris 

^  The  Professor  also  makes  Krishna,  the  Eighth 
Avatara,  precede  Rama,  the  Seventh.  What  would  be 
thought  of  a  Hindu  in  Madras,  who,  dealing  with  English 
history,  announced  that  King  Arthur  and  the  Round 
Table  appeared  in  the  world  two  centuries  after 
William  IV.,  and  William  IV.  seventy-three  years  before 
William  Rufus  ? 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS     187 

killed  by  the  Injured  husband.  Then  a 
Buddhist  —  for  Professor  Weber  certainly 
presents  us  with  a  Buddhist  Valmiki — would 
have  to  think  of  Buddhism.  The  great 
Sakya  Muni  had  given  to  the  world  a  new 
ideal.  He  had  proscribed  bloody  battles, 
bloody  victories,  bloody  sacrifices.  He  had 
proclaimed  that  happiness  depended  upon 
the  acts  and  thoughts  of  the  individual,  and 
not  in  a  number  of  spells  and  priestly  rig- 
maroles. Each  Jataka  (birth-story  of  the 
Buddha)  describes  him  as  I  have  said  in  a 
previous  existence,  and  also  his  wife  the 
gentle  Yasodara,  who  is  ever  by  his  side. 
What  would  be  the  wild  consternation  of  the 
Buddhist  community,  Buddhism  being  still 
the  chief  Indian  religion  according  to  Hiouen 
Tuang,  A.D.  400,  if  they  learnt  that  this  sweet 
ideal  of  womanhood  had  been  shut  up  in  the 
zenana  of  a  foul  fiend  ;  a  story  that  would 
go  much  further  in  mischief,  for  it  would 
authenticate  once  more  Brahman  pretensions. 
Brahman  hocus  -  pocus,  and  the  Brahman 
regions  of  woe — in  fact,  everything  that 
Buddha  had  come  to   earth  to  destroy. 


i88  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Colebrooke,  who  had  Hved  amongst  the 
natives  of  India  and  studied  their  feelings 
and  mythology,  as  well  as  their  language, 
seems  to  have  exactly  reversed  the  teaching 
of  Professor  Weber.  He  pronounced  that 
the  life  of  Buddha  was  derived  from  the 
story  of  Rama.  There  are  many  points  in 
favour  of  this  contention  :  Buddha's  educa- 
tion by  Visva-mitra  ;  his  winning  his  bride 
with  the  bow  of  Sinhahanu  ;  his  won- 
derful arrow  that  went  through  the  seven 
Tala  trees  as  Rama's  did  in  the  presence 
of  Sugriva ;  the  miraculous  kick  by  which 
each  young  prince  freed  the  country  of 
a  vast  carcase  which  was  poisoning  the 
air  ;  Buddha  getting  rid  of  the  dead  ele- 
phant that  Deva-datta  had  put  in  his  path, 
and  Rama  kicking  away  a  dead  giant.  Then 
there  is  the  grief  of  the  fathers  that  their 
beloved  sons  are  to  be  anchorites ;  the  tempta- 
tion of  each  young  man  by  fiends,  disguised 
as  beautiful  women  ;  the  triumphant  return  of 
each  to  the  **City  of  the  King."  The  epoch  of 
each  was  deemed  also  a  Golden  Ao^e  when  the 
infirmities  of  humanity  were  unknown. 


EVIDENCE  OF  CHRYSOSTOMOS     i8g 

I  will  make  one  more  jump,  perhaps  a  wild 
one.  Let  anyone  read  my  account  of  the 
slab  at  the  Sanchi  Tope,  which  represents  the 
burning  of  the  palace  of  the  Naga  King,^  and 
compare  the  account  given  in  the  "  Maha- 
wanso  "  of  that  event. 

What  would  he  find  ?  That  Buddha 
attacked  the  Deva  of  Devas  (Siva)  with  fire 
from  heaven,  which  set  alight  to  his  palace, 
and  which  frightened  all  his  Nagas  or  Devas 
out  of  hell,  without  slaying  one  of  them. 
May  not  this  be  a  Buddhist  version  of  Rama's 
expedition  ?  That  also  set  alight  to  Siva's 
palace,  with  the  tail  of  Hanuman ;  and 
cleared  the  place  of  wicked  demons. 

1  Lillie,  "  India  in  Primitive  Christianity,"  p.  248  ;  also 

275- 


CHAPTER    VIII 


This  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  this  question  : 
Is  the  "  Ramayana"  historical  ?  and  does  the 
Conquest  of  Indra  by  Bali  mean  the  great 
alterations  in  the  religion  of  the  Vedas  pro- 
duced by  its  contact  with  the  religion  of  Bali 
or  Siva  ? 

But  there  is  a  minor  point.  Max  Mliller 
holds  that  certain  ''  Cyclopean  gates  "^  were 
erected  when  the  Aryans  crossed  the  Hindu 
Kush,  and,  until  the  advent  of  Alexander  the 
Great,     India    became    a    sort    of   rat-trap.^ 

1  Max  Miiller,  **  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit  Litera- 
ture," p.  15. 

2  "  No  intercourse  was  possible,  after  the  Southern 
branch  of  the  Aryan  family  had  once  crossed  the  Hima- 
laya "  (Max  Miiller,  "  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop," 
vol.  ii.,  p.  32). 

190 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "ZEND  AVESTA"  191 

Thousands  of  rats  entered,  but  not  one  ever 
came  out  again.  Professors  Jacobi,  Weber, 
and  Monier  Williams  hold  much  the  same 
view,  and  they  decry  all  possible  connection 
between  the  *'Ramayana"  and  the  Homeric 
poems  in  regard  to  this. 

When  the  Aryas  parted  at  the  Hindu  Kush 
each  carried  away  a  religion  which  certainly 
seemed  on  the  surface  a  pure  polytheism.  The 
hymns  and  praises  of  the  ''  Zend  Avesta  "  are 
addressed  to  water  and  fire,  etc.,  and  these 
are  some  of  the  "  praises  "  : 

*'  The  Fravashi  of  the  soul  of  the  Bull  .  .  .  praise  we." 
"The  soul  of  the  well-created  cow,  praise  we." 

'*  The  Fire,  the  son  of  Ahura-Mazda,  praise  we." 
"  The  holy  well-created  Wind,  praise  we." 
"  The  Sun,  with  swift  horses,  praise  we. 
"All  waters  praise  we.     All  trees  praise  we."  ^ 

It  was  very  much  what  Mr.  Andrew  Lang 
calls  a  "  worship  of  odds  and  ends."  Turning 
to  the  "  Rig  Veda,"  we  find  a  similar  worship 
of  opportunism.  We  have  hymns  to  Agni,  to 
Indra,  to  the  Dawn,  to  the  Winds,  and  also 
to  the  "frogs,"  the  "horse,"  and  to  the 
"  dice,"  the  god  of  all  the  gamblers. 
1  '' Avesta,"  pp.  90,  150-1. 


192  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

We  see  also  in  both  religions  a  tendency 
to  make  a  Walhalla  of  the  pots  and  platters 
of  the  sacrifice.  The  "  Car  of  the  Asvins  " 
is  the  basket  that  brings  the  cakes;  the  Soma, 
the  curds  and  whey.  The  **Samudra,"  the 
awe-inspiring  "  waters,"  where  the  unseen 
god  dwells,  is  simply  the  pot  of  water  of  the 
sacrifice.  "  The  Venerable  Mothers "  of 
Agni  are  the  two  sticks  that  ignite  the  fire. 
The  ten  mighty  brothers,  that  march  in  pro- 
cession, ushering  in  the  Soma-god,  are  merely 
the  ten  fingers  of  the  domestic  chaplain. 

The  invention  of  an  intoxicating  drink  is  in 
India  attributed  to  Siva.  He  is  Somanatha, 
the  lord  of  the  Soma.  Twelve  chief  Sivan 
temples,  or  Lingams,  flourished  in  old  India, 
and  the  chief  one  was  Somnith.^  The  in- 
toxicating drink  was  extracted  from  a  plant 
peculiar  to  the  Himalayas  called  the  Soma 
{Asclepia  acida).  The  Western  Aryans  when 
they  imitated  the  rite  had  to  put  up  with  a  sub- 

^  In  modem  times  Lord  Ellenborough  accentuated  the 
importance  of  this  Temple  by  carrying  back  its  gates  to 
India.  They  had  been  taken  to  Canbal  by  the  Moslem 
rulers  as  a  supreme  insult  to  the  Hindus. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "ZEND  AVESTA"  193 

stitute  very  much  feebler,  the  White  Haoma. 
The  word  "  Soma  "  also  means  "  the  moon," 
and  was  worked  into  the  first  idea  by  a  state- 
ment that  the  moon  is  the  abode  of  the  im- 
mortal drink  ;  and  the  horned  moon  is  biva, 
whose  chief  emblem  is  the  bull.  Another 
name  for  him,  according  to  Professor  Weber, 
is  Keregani  (Protector  of  the  Soma-juice).^ 
But  the  analogy  goes  a  great  deal  further. 
Soma  Natha  (the  Lord  of  the  Soma)  being 
Siva,  is  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  the  Universe, 
and  this  raises  up  a  vital  question.  The  '*  Rig 
Veda,"  though  a  bible  of  polytheism,  also 
addresses  the  plant  as  God  Almighty 
personified. 

**  Thou  art  the  Creator  of  the  world.  We 
invite  Thee  to  gain  the  intoxication  of  victory." 

"  Soma,  the  firm  support  of  the  heavens, 
swims  in  the  vast  Samudra"  (the  unmani- 
fested  portion  of  the  Kosmos  described  by 
the  Gnostics  as  distinguished  from  that  lit  up 
by  suns  and  stars). 

"  Come,   O    Soma,    for    the  happiness   of 

^  Quoted  by  Professor  Spiegel,  "  Avesta,"vol.  ii.,p.  56  n. 

13 


194  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Indra  and  all  the  gods.     O  Hindu,  strength 
is  thy  gift." 

"  The  God  of  the  all-seeing  eye  kills 
the  demons.  Kill  Vritra,  and  give  us 
riches." 

*'  The  shining  Soma  begat  in  the  heavens 
the  stars,  in  the  air  the  sun,  on  earth  the 
waters." 

**  Send  from  the  heavens  abundance  of 
rain,  O  Soma  ;  give  us  strength  in  our 
battles." 

But  the  marvel  does  not  end  here.  The 
orthodox  Eranian  polytheists  suddenly  began 
to  sing  hymns  to  Haoma  (Soma),  the  '*  illimi- 
table ruler  "  : 

"  At  the  time  of  the  morning-dawn  came 
Haoma  to  Zarathustra. 

"  Zarathustra  asked  him  :  '  Who,  O  man, 
art  thou  .^' 

"  Then  answered  Haoma :  '  I  am,  O  Zara- 
thustra, Haoma,  the  pure,  who  is  far  from 
death.' 

"  Then  spake  Zarathustra  :  *  Praise  be  to 
the  Haoma  !'  "  ^ 

1  "Yagna,"  ix. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  195 

We  learn,  further,  that  Vivanhao,  the 
father  of  Yima,  first  introduced  Haoma  to 
this  world  in  the  Golden  Age,  when  death 
age,  cold  and  heat  were  not. 

"  On  account  of  his  rule  men  and   cattle 

were    immortal,   water   and  trees    not  dried 

J) 
up. 

Here  are  other  pregnant  passages  : 

"  Thy  wisdom,  O  Golden,  praise  I ; 
Thy  powers,  thy  victory. 
Thy  healthfulness,  thy  healing  power." 

"  For  this,  as  the  first  favour,  pray  I  thee, 
O  Haoma,  thou  who  art  far  from  death  :  for 
the  best  place  of  the  pure  (Paradise),  the 
shining,  adorned  with  all  brightness." 

"  Hail  to  thee,  thou  who  through  thine 
own  strength  art  illimitable  ruler,  O 
Haoma !" 

"  Haoma  has  diminished  the  rule  of  Kere- 
9ani.  .  .   ." 

"  This  Kere9ani  would  slay  all  increase, 
annihilate  all  increase." 

Now,  here  we  get  at  once  three  claimants 
for  the  introduction  of  Soma-worship  : 


196  rAma  and  homer 

1.  The  followers  of  Siva.  The  Soma 
intoxicant  was  one  of  the  three  secrets  in 
their  *'  Mysteries  ";  the  Unity  of  God  and  the 
knowledge  of  agriculture  were  the  two 
others. 

2.  The  Indian  Aryans  maintained  that 
they  brought  the  knowledge  of  Soma  with 
them  into  Hindustan. 

3.  The  Eranians  also  maintained  that  they 
got  the  idea  from  the  Proto-Aryans. 

Siva. 

Dr.  Pope,  the  leading  authority  for  the 
languages  and  religions  of  the  South  of  India, 
affirms  that  the  worship  of  Siva  is  by  far  the 
earliest  religion  known  to  India.  On  the 
other  hand,  Professor  Max  Mliller  contends 
that  this  worship  is  quite  modern.^  He  goes 
so  far  as  to  assert  that  it  is  no  older  than  that 
of  the  later  followers  of  Vishnu  ;  this  is 
modern     enough.       Professor     Weber     has 

^  Max   Mliller,  *'  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit  Litera- 
ture," p.  55. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "ZEND  AVESTA"   197 

affirmed    that    these    Vaishnavas    stole   their 

principal  scripture  from  the  Gospel  according 

to  St.  John.      He  alludes  to  the  ''  Bhagavat 

Gita,"  and  Professor  Max  Mitller  himself  has 

'  j 

supported    the    silly    Neo-Vishnu    additions       | 
which  have  corrupted  the  text  of  the  ''  Rama- 
yana." 

Mr.  Gwilt,  in  his  '*  Cyclopaedia  of  Archi- 
tecture," declares  that  man  had  three  stages 
of  progress  :  First,  the  hunter,  who  had  no 
protection  except  a  cave,  and  no  food  but 
what  he  killed  ;  secondly,  the  shepherd  who 
moved  about  with  a  tent ;  and  thirdly,  the 
agriculturist,  who  had  learned  to  build  in  the 
open. 

Applying  this,  what  do  we  find  ?  That 
the  religion  of  Siva  has  the  best  credentials 
for  being  the  oldest  religion  in  the  world. 
Over  1,000  cave-temples  exist  in  India,  with 
diva's  sex  emblem,  the  Lingam,  in  every 
small  grotto  or  room,  and  cave-dwellings  can 
be  counted  by  thousands  ;  on  the  other  hand, 
Max  Mliller's  oldest  religion,  that  of  Indra, 
in  its  earliest  literature  speaks  of  the  "house" 
and  the  '*  master  of  the  house  "  (arih),  and 


198  rAma  and  homer 

also  of  "  barley."  This  carries  the  bards  of 
the  '*  Rig  Veda  "  at  once  into  the  third  cate- 
gory— namely,  that  of  folks  who  knew  how 
to  grow  corn  and  build  in  the  open.  India, 
from  its  profusion  of  natural  caves,  seems  to 
have  been  the  country  best  suited  by  Nature 
for  this  cave-dwelling  and  this  cave-worship. 
Its  early  symbols — Durga  as  the  tree  and 
Siva  as  the  serpent  —  point  to  days  when 
India  was  spread  with  jungles  and  the  Indian 
was  obliged  to  face  the  deadly  jungle  fever  in 
search  of  food,  and  also  the  cobra  [Naja 
tripudians).  To  this  day  that  deadly  snake 
kills  yearly  about  24,000  people.  Some  of 
its  poorer  worshippers,  such  as  the  Aghori, 
still  live  in  caves  and  feed  on  corpses,  and 
their  ancestors  did  the  same  for  centuries  and 
centuries. 

Professor  Horace  Hay  man  Wilson  an- 
nounced that  the  literature  of  the  followers 
of  the  god  Siva  had  been  very  little  presented 
to  the  Hindus.  The  legends  were  very  old, 
but  they  were  not  presented  in  Sanskrit. 
This  remark  struck  me  when  I  read  a 
passage  from  a  learned  professor  which  fixed 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  igg 

at  a  very  modern  date  the  works  called  the 
''  Tantras,"   which  deal  with  indecent    mys- 
teries, human  sacrifices,  and  other  rites  called 
"  Left-handed."       But    may    not    professors 
push  their  erudition  too  far  when  they  rely  on 
books  alone  ?      For  many  centuries — that  is, 
until  the  letters  of  the  Indian  alphabet  came 
into  being — the  scanty  hymns  and  parables 
of  the   Saivites  were  preserved  by  memory 
alone.     Also    Saivism  was   a    Pantheism — a 
secret    society    battling    with    their    Aryan 
deadly  foes.     Colebrooke  tells  us  that  when 
he    was    in    India   these    objectionable   left- 
handed    rites  were  still    secretly  performed. 
All  this  seems  to  point  to  blind  conservatism 
rather  than  to  disordered  promptings,  a  gross- 
ness  made  sacred  by  many  centuries. 

Does  not  the  cave-dweller  explain  the 
cave- worshipper  ?  He  imaged  a  god  exactly 
like  his  own  savage  chief.  He  brought  that 
chief  animal  and  human  flesh — no  other  food 
was  known — and  this,  fresh  killed,  would  be 
more  wholesome  than  flesh  of  a  creature  who 
died  of  disease  ;  rude  music,  dances,  songs  of 
praise,  would   not  be   absent  ;  and  beautiful 


200  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

women,  as  naked  as  the  ladies  in  the  Anda- 
man Islands,  would  dance  in  a  ring  around 
him.  Polyandry  or  some  other  crude  custom 
would  determine  the  relations  of  the  sexes. 

Now,  here  we  have  the  mysteries  of  Siva. 
The  temple  was  the  cave  of  the  living  chief. 
He  appeared  in  the  middle  of  it,  and  naked 
women  danced  round  him,  not  because  they 
were  wicked,  but  because  clothes  were  not 
yet  invented.  His  statue  was  rude,  a  lump 
of  rock,  rough,  unhewn — the  Menhir,  called 
the  "  Mahadeo  "  in  India  to  this  day.  The 
form  of  this  god,  which  much  intrigued 
Bishop  Heber,  was  based  on  a  fancy  that 
worlds  were  created  like  men  by  the  union  of 
a  father  and  a  mother.  Music,  dances,  songs 
of  praise,  and  by-and-by  intoxicants,  the 
earliest  known,  would  be  abundant. 

The  evidence  for  the  great  antiquity  is 
quite  overwhelming.  In  the  "Rig  Veda" 
itself  Siva  figures  as  ''  Ahi,"  the  serpent, 
"  Bala,"  living  in  a  cave  ;  and  Dr.  Muir  has 
unearthed  two  passages  which  mention  the 
worship  of  his  emblem  a  little  too  archaically : 

'  May    the   glorious    Indra   triumph    over 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "2END  AVESTA"  201 

the  hostile  beings.  Let  not  those  whose  god 
is  the  Sisna  approach  our  sacred  ceremony." 

''  Desiring  to  bestow  strength  in  the 
struggle  that  warrior  Indra  has  besieged 
inaccessible  places  at  the  time  when  irre- 
sistibly staying  those  whose  god  is  the  Sisna, 
he  by  his  force  conquered  the  city  with  a 
hundred  gates."  ^ 

The  Sisna  is  the  Lingam. 

Another  strong  point  is  the  serpent  symbol. 
Siva  and  Durga  were  Manasa  and  Sesh — 
both,  like  all  early  gods  of  savages,  hurtful 
demons.  By  -  and  -  by  they  became  good 
demons,  and  serpents  were  petted.  Egypt 
and  Babylon  took  up  the  serpent  symbol  at 
this  stage  of  development. 

Reading  Colebrooke's  Life  the  other  day, 
I  was  still  more  impressed  with  the  strange 
infatuation  of  Max  Miiller  in  trying  to 
sweep  Siva  out  of  India  altogether.  Cole- 
brooke  announces  that  the  only  gods  in  his 
day  really  worshipped  were  four — Mahadeo, 
Ganes,  Devi,  and  Vishnu. ^      The  first  three 

^  Muir,  *'  Sanskrit  Texts,"  vol.  iv.,  pp.  345,  346. 
2  H.  T.  Colebrooke,  "Life,"  p.  141. 


202  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

are  presentations  of  Siva  ;  the  last,  the 
modern  Vishnu,  is  a  make-up  of  Brahmanism 
and  Buddhism,  and  with  Saivism  for  founda- 
tion. 

Two  theories  are  in  existence  of  the  fate 
of  the  Proto-Aryan  religion  after  the 
*'  Separation." 

The  first  is  that  the  two  halves  continued 
for  thousands  of  years  with  very  little  change 
in  dogma  or  even  in  minute  ceremonial. 

The  second  is  that  the  Indian  half  took  up 
a  number  of  new  ideas  and  ceremonies  from 
the  religion  of  Siva. 

In  favour  of  the  first,  popular  writers  point 
to  the  lofty  monotheism,  which  the  "  Vedas'* 
and  the  "Zend  A  vesta"  both  teach;  although, 
in  both  cases,  it  is  veiled  with  a  surface  poly- 
theism. They  point  to  the  close  identity  of 
rites,  going  to  the  extreme  of  superstitions 
in  the  case  of  the  Bareshma  and  the  Soma. 

Now,  certainly,  the  "  Zend  Avesta"  at  once 
sweeps  away  this  first  theory.  If  you  asked 
any  one  of  the  250,000,000  who  inhabit 
India  this  question.  Who  is  the  '*  Deva  of 
Devas  .^"    there    is    not  one  who   would   not 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  **ZEND  AVESTA"  203 

answer  at  once  :  "  It  is  our  phrase  for  biva!" 
And  yet  this  is  the  title  given  to  Ahriman, 
the  Supreme  Evil  Potentate  in  the  "  Zend- 
Avesta."  And  the  Western  Aryans  not  only 
attack  him  ;  they  may  be  said  to  make  unre- 
lenting hostility  to  him  the  basis  of  their 
bible,  their  rites,  their  punishments,  and  even 
of  their  confession  of  faith. 

1.  The  bible  of  the  Western  Eranians  is 
called  the  "  Zend-Avesta,"  but  its  more 
accurate  title  is  the  "  Vendidad."  This 
means,  literally,  the  "  law  against  the 
Devas." 

2.  Malignant  ferocity  has  been  carried  to 
extreme  length  in  the  punishment  decreed 
for  these  "  heretics."  Anyone  who  feeds  off 
a  corpse  is  to  be  skinned  alive  ;  Siva's 
religion,  starting  when  corpses  were  one  of 
the  chief  items  of  nourishment,  retains  the 
ceremony  of  eating  some,  in  its  Mystery  of 
the  Dead  Year  ;  that  means  every  wor- 
shipper of  Siva  is  liable  to  this  gross 
cruelty. 

3.  Says  Miss  Ragozin  :  "  The  Yasna  has 
preserved  to  us  an  important  document — the 


204  rAma  and  homer 

profession  of  faith  which  was  required  from 
each  Mazdayacnian  convert,  the  true  Avestan 
Creed." 

This  creed  begins  thus  :  "  I  curse  the 
devas.  I  confess  myself  a  worshipper  of 
Mazda,  a  follower  of  Zarathustra,  a  foe  to 
the  devas,  a  believer  in  Ahura,  a  praiser 
of  the  Amesha-Spentas.  I  profess  good 
thoughts,  good  words,  good  deeds."  ^ 

And  the  excommunications  of  these  devo- 
tees included  the  Vedic  gods  as  well  as  Siva. 
I  give  the  words  of  this  excommunication 
from  the  ''Zend  Avesta":  "  I  combat  Indra, 
I  combat  (^auru  (biva),  I  combat  the  Daeva 
Naonhaiti  from  the  dwelling,  the  clan,  the 
tribe,  the  region."^ 

They  consign,  they  run  the  evil  witting 
wicked  Devas  to  the  bottom  of  hell,  the 
dark,  the  bad,  the  evil. 

According  to  all  Persian  scholars  Qauru 
is  an  epithet  of  Siva,  says  Professor 
Spiegel ;  and  he  adds  :  "  In  the  '  Bundehesh,' 
it  is   stated  :   '  Ahriman  created  out   of  the 

1  Ragozin,  "  Story  of  the  Nations"  (Media),  p.  ill. 

2  "Vendidad"  (trans.),  p.  94- 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  205 

materials  of  darkness  Akuman  and  Ander, 
then  Qauru  and  Nakait,  then  Tarij  and 
Zarij.'  " 

And  now  to  this  question  :  Were  the  rites 
and  ideals  of  the  Proto-Aryans  carried  on 
with  little  change  by  both  sections,  after  the 
Separation,  to  Vedic  times  ? 

The  religion  of  the  savage  is  suggested  at 
starting  by  some  observed  fact.  The  difficulty 
with  the  Western  Eranians  is  that  their  chief 
rites  are  plainly  not  suggested  by  any  local 
experience.  They  had  an  astounding  en- 
thusiasm for  a  plant  only  procurable  in 
India,  making  it  into  a  god,  although  they 
could  only  get  a  bad  imitation  of  it.  This 
plant,  the  Soma,  was  procured  from  the 
Asclepia  acida,  of  the  family  of  milk-weeds. 
They  could  not  have  heard  of  it  until  the 
Aryan  had  gone  a  considerable  distance 
beyond  the  Hindu  Kush  into  India  proper. 
And  even  then,  for  a  long  time,  its  existence 
was  a  secret  of  the  Sivan  mysteries  ;  and  its 
culture  and  sale  in  after-times  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  non-Aryan  tribes.^  The 
1  Ragozin,  "Vedic  India,"  p.  171. 


2o6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Eranian  substitute,  the  Haoma,  had  very 
Httle  intoxication  in  it.  This  may  explain 
the  bitterness  of  their  assauhs  on  Krishanu, 
the  Indian  Soma  Natha. 

For  the  descent  of  this  great  god  Soma 
in  the  rites,  certain  little  bundles  of  the  sweet 
Indian  grass  called  "  Kusha "  were  pre- 
pared— the  "seat  of  the  gods."  Again  the 
Eranians  were  forced  to  accept  a  clumsy 
substitute  —  a  bundle  of  big  twigs  —  the 
Bareshma. 

Another  borrowing  was  more  remarkable 
still.  It  is  recorded  that  Durga  once  got  so 
angry  with  Siva  and  his  flirtations,  that 
she  practised  black  magic,  and  became  so 
powerful  that  she  began  to  burn  up  the  half 
of  India.  The  gods  hastened  to  appease 
her  ;  and  she  consented  to  become  the  tree 
Sami,  from  which  the  wood  for  the  fire- 
drill  (Arani)  was  always  selected.  This 
legend  is  due  to  a  time  when  no  other  way 
of  getting  fire  was  available.  The  Arani  is 
the  Mother  of  Siva,  for  Siva  is  fire.  The 
Indian  Aryans  adopted  the  rite,  wood  of  the 
Sami-tree  and  all;  the  word  "  Agni  "  being 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  207 

substituted  for  Siva.  But  the  Eranians  only- 
carried  over  the  superstition.  They  put  a 
bundle  of  fire-wood  on  an  altar  already  alight. 

About  Vedic  monotheism,  a  controversy 
between  Professor  Max  Miiller  and  Mr. 
Andrew  Lang  may  be  remembered  by  the 
reader.  The  Professor  holds  that  the  early 
races,  and  especially  the  Indian  Aryans,  had, 
at  starting,  a  solemn  sense  of  the  infinite. 
Their  religion  was  a  spiritual  religion  based 
upon  the  conscience.  This  inspired  the 
Vedic  Rishis  to  pour  forth  a  noble  revelation 
of  the  great  First  Cause.  After  a  time  with 
all  religions  there  comes  a  "  parasitical 
growth,"  a  hocus-pocus  religion,  with  silly 
spells,  and  worship  of  bundles  of  grass,  fire- 
drills,  jars  of  holy  water,  cow-dung — oppor- 
tunism used  homceopathically  to  every  current 
event.  The  Professor  holds  that  the  "  Rig 
Veda,"  more  than  any  other  book,  gives  us 
the  best  evidence  of  this  primitive  religion. 

''  The  '  Veda  '  fills  a  gap  which  no  literary 
work  in  any  other  language  could  fill.-^     And 

1  Max  Miiller,  "  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit  Litera- 
ture," p.  63. 


2o8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

he  calls  it  in   a  sense    the  oldest    book    in 
existence."  ^ 

Mr.  Lano-  rather  ridiculed  this  enthusiasm 
for  the  "  Book  with  the  Seven  Seals,"  and 
for  this  new  reading  of  savage  thought.  He 
speaks  thus  of  the  "  Rig  Veda"  as  not  being 
so  very  ancient : 

''  These  hymns  are  composed  in  the  most 
elaborate  metre,  by  sages  of  old  repute,  who, 
I  presume,  occupied  a  position,  not  unlike 
that  of  the  singers  and  seers  of  Israel.  They 
lived  in  an  age  of  tolerably  advanced  cultiva- 
tion. They  had  wide  geographical  know- 
ledge. They  had  settled  government.  They 
dwelt  in  States.  They  had  wealth  of  gold, 
of  grain,  and  of  domesticated  animals. 
Among  the  metals,  they  were  acquainted  with 
that  which,  in  most  countries  has  been  the 
latest  worked — they  used  iron  poles  in  their 
chariots."  ^ 

Two  American  Sanskrit  scholars — namely, 
Professors  Hopkins  of  Yale  and  Jackson  of 

1  Max  Miiller,  "  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit  Litera- 
ture," p.  557. 

2  Andrew  Long,  "  Custom  and  Myth,"  p.  217. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  209 

Columbiaalso  deny  this  exaggerated  antiquity. 
They  date  the  "  Rig  Veda"  from  800  to  600 
B.C.  And  when  we  take  Professor  Max 
Muller's  dates  and  try  and  work  them  into 
his  theories  our  troubles  begin.  He  tells  us 
that  the  "first  divergence"  of  the  Aryas 
occurred  at  least  5,000  years  before  Christ  ; 
and  that  probably  we  should  have  to  go  to 
geological  jumps  of  years  to  get  at  the  real 
figure.  He  bases  this  on  the  very  small 
divero^ence  that  has  occurred  between  French 
and  Italian  in  1,000  years. 

But  if  a  religion  has  been  twenty-five 
centuries  in  existence,  can  we  reasonably 
talk  of  its  "  infancy,"  and  treat  it  as  if  it  were 
still  free  from  the  parasitical  growth  that  ends 
that  early  period  ?  Imagine  the  Rishis  year 
after  year  wearily  joining  in  a  pleasing 
comedy  and  pouring  out  their  eulogies  to 
Vayu  and  Indra,  knowing  all  the  time  that 
such  beings  were  purely  imaginary.  Imagine 
the  stern  Adhvaryu  joining  in  the  harlequin- 
ade ;  but  burning  on  a  red-hot  bed  all 
''  heretics,"  that  dared  to  assert  that  there 
was  a  god  superior  to  the  rain  and  the  wind 

14 


2T0  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

and  the  ''  Holy  Bull."  Imagine  the  ruck  of 
worshippers,  all  pre-historic  Schellings  and 
Fenelons  and  Fichtes,  obliged  daily  to  bring 
to  the  altar  their  curds  and  whey  and  their 
ghee,  and  pretend  that  they  thought  that  the 
basket  carrying  these  comestibles  was  the  car  of 
the  Asvins,  sailing  proudly  through  the  skies. 

What  is  the  Sivan  legend  of  Creation  ? 
Siva  is  discovered  sitting  alone  in  chaotic 
darkness.  Then,  by-and-by,  he  creates  a 
female  form,  the  great  Sakti.  Philosophers 
tell  us  that  she  is  his  will  personified.  Their 
wondrous  nuptials  people  all  the  spheres  with 
gods  and  men  ;  but  these  die  out  at  the  end 
of  an  age  (Kalpa,  the  **  footstep"  of  the 
great  Mahakala)  ;  and  oddly  enough  the 
Vedic  Brahmans  admit  this  transitory  nature 
of  their  gods.  "  Many  thousands  of  Indras 
and  of  other  gods  have  passed  away  in  suc- 
cessive periods,  overcome  by  time  ;  for  time 
is  hard  to  overcome."-^ 

The  account  of  the  creation  of  the  world 
in  the  ''  Rig  Veda"  has  been  much  admired 

^  Cited  from  the  "  Rig  Veda "  by  Colebrooke, 
'  Essays,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  251. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "ZEND  AVESTA"  211 

and  often  translated.      I  will  give  one  more 

version  of  it,  made  from  a  very  literal  French 

translation,  that  of  M.  Langlois': 

"  Nothing  was  then — invisible  or  seen — 
No  air,  no  upper  region,  welkin  bright. 
No  cloud  pavilion  ;  nor  th'  unfathomed  sea 
That  girds  the  continents  in  large  embrace. 
There  was  no  death,  nor  mortal  after-dream. 
And  naught  to  cleave  the  daylight  from  the  night. 
In  chaos  couched,  breathed  That  One^  breathless  eke, 
Gloom  piled  on  gloom,  and  waters  without  wave. 
Then  from  his  tapas^  shining  worlds  appeared, 
Ushered  by  Kama^  with  the  germ  of  life, 
That  seed  that  has  for  produce  world  and  men, 
Bridging  what  is  and  is  not,"*  Rishis  say. 
Whence  came  this  mighty  fabric — whence  these  hordes? 
The  gods  themselves  came  afterwards  to  life — 
That  One  knows  all  mayhap,  who  props  the  clouds, 
Knows  or  knows  not." 

Now,  about  one  point  here  there  can  be  no 
contention.  We  get  the  god  of  the  Seshvara 
Sankhya  philosophy  —  a  god  incompre- 
hensible and  apparently  callous,  dwelling  in 
Nirvritti,  the  Buthos  of  the  Gnostics.  He  is 
the  Absolute.      He  cannot  create  anything, 

^   Tad^   "one,"  the  unit  of  the  Phythagorean    philo- 
sophy. 2  Potency  of  the  Yogi. 
^  Sexual  love — the  Indian  Cupid. 
*  Sat  and  Asat. 


212  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

for  everything  is  already  perfection.  He 
cannot  supervise  mortal  affairs,  for  those 
affairs  have  already  been  arranged  by  absolute 
wisdom.  So  a  subordinate  agent  has  to  be 
set  up.  All  this  is  plainly  in  the  mind  of 
the  Rishi  who  composed  the  hymn.  A 
second  question,  an  inferior  one,  is  left 
apparently  unsolved.  Was  this  subordinate 
agent  male  or  female  ?  In  other  words,  do  we 
get  the  Sakti  of  biva  or  his  son  Ganesa, 
the  Logos  idea  of  India  and  Alexandria.'^ 
The  word  Kama,  which  means  ''  sexual  love  " 
seems  to  point  to  the  first  suggestion.  That 
it  was  not  "  Proto-Aryan,"  as  Max  Miiller 
suggests,  is  proved  by  a  real  Proto-Aryan 
account  of  the  Creation  brought  down  to  us  in 
the  "  Zend-Avesta."  It  is  Ahura- Mazda,  the 
beneficent  Asura,  who  creates  everything  that 
is  good,  and  Ahgro-mainyus  adds  everything 
that  is  evil — the  words,  "  good  "  and  "evil," 
being  adjusted  by  contemporary  opinion. 
Thus,  Ahura- Mazda  creates  water  and  bene- 
ficent rain,  and  Afigro-mainyus  gives  ice  and 
snow.  Then  Ahura- Mazda  gives  healthy 
bodies  to  humanity  and  healthy  food,  whereas 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ''ZEND  AVESTA"  213 

Angro-mainyus  settles  the  details  of  digestion 
in  a  most  shocking  and  filthy  manner  ;  and 
so  on.  Then  critics  like  Mgr.  C.  de  Harlez, 
who  has  translated  the  "Zend  Avesta"  into 
French,  tell  us  that  that  work  is  chiefly  a 
grimoire  of  protective  and  also  aggressive 
spells. 

"  I  drive  away  sickness.  I  drive  away 
death.  I  drive  away  pain  and  fever,  I  drive 
away  the  disease,  rottenness  and  infection 
which  Aiigro-mainyus  has  created  by  his 
witchcraft  against  the  bodies  of  mortals." 

Says  Mgr.  de  Harlez  :  '*  The  multitude  of 
Daevas  in  the  Avestan  world,  the  belief  in 
their  unremitting  action,  in  their  continual 
attacks,  in  the  necessity  of  incantations  and 
conjurations  to  defeat  them,  the  superstitions 
such  as  that  about  the  parings  of  the  nails 
being  turned  into  weapons  for  the  Daevas  ;  " 
all  this,  the  Monsignor  thinks,  betrays  an 
outside  and  Turanian  influence. 

Turning  to  their  brethren,  the  Indian 
Aryas,  matters  seem  no  better.  Says  Miss 
Ragozin  :  "We  have  here  a  weird,  repulsive 
world  of  darkly  scowling  demons,  inspiring 


214  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

abject  fear  such  as  never  sprang  from  Aryan 
fancy.  We  find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a 
goblin  worship,  the  exact  counterpart  of  that 
with  which  we  became  familiar  in  Turanian 
Chaldea.  Every  evil  thing  in  nature  from  a 
drought  to  a  fever,  or  bad  qualities  of  the 
human  heart,  is  personified  and  made  the 
object  of  terror-stricken  propitiation,  or  of 
attempts  at  circumvention  through  witchcraft, 
or  the  instrument  of  harm  to  others  through 
the  same  compelling  force." 

Both  Mgr.  de  Harlez  and  Miss  Ragozin 
hold  that  this  goblin-worship  came  from  the 
Turanians  of  Accad.  But  why  go  so  far 
afield,  when  in  India  itself  was  a  secret  society 
practising  exactly  the  same  black  magic.  I 
allude  to  the  Tantric  or  "left-handed"  rites 
of  the  followers  of  Siva. 

To  sum  up,  we  have  seen  that  from  the 
earliest  times  India  had  a  pantheism  waging 
desperate  and  ruthless  war  with  every  poly- 
theism on  earth.     Its  chief  secrets  were  three  : 

I.  It  proclaimed  a  god,  one  all-powerful, 
the  hidden  force  behind  all  nature,  the  creator 
and  sustainer  of  the  phenomenal  world. 


EVIDENCE  OF  THE  "ZEND  AVESTA"  215 

2.  The  second  mystery  was  the  Soma 
plant.  Its  exaltation  was  received  like  the 
voice,  not  of  the  earth,  which  comes  to  the 
solitude  of  the  fasting  Yogi. 

3.  The  third  secret  was  agriculture.  Durga 
still  presides  at  the  great  harvest  festival,  and 
the  Hindus  of  all  sects  flock  to  it. 

Now,  5,000  years  ago,  according  to  Max 
Miiller,  a  nation  of  polytheists  reached  the 
confines  of  India  and  separated  into  two 
clans,  one  alone  passing  the  borders.  Each 
of  these,  on  the  top  of  their  polytheism,  are 
found  to  have  accepted  the  three  main  teach- 
ings of  the  religion  of  Siva — the  monism,  the 
Soma  intoxication,  the  secret  of  agriculture. 
How  did  this  come  about  ?  The  most 
obvious,  and  to  my  mind  the  most  rational, 
answer  is  that  each  borrowed  it  from  the 
followers  of  Siva,  the  most  secret  and  the 
most  active  missionaries  of  the  past — fearless, 
ruthless,  unremitting.  "  No,"  say  the  dis- 
ciples of  Max  Miiller  and  of  the  rat-trap 
theory.  "  '  Cyclopeian  gates'  prevented  any 
communication.  These  three  points  were  all 
Proto- Aryan." 


2i6  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

But  on  which  side  does  the  evidence  lie  ? 
Professor  Max  Muller  has  nothing  but  sur- 
mise to  go  on,  and  the  other  theory  is  sup- 
ported by  the  Brahmans  in  the  ''Ramayana," 
which  admits  that  Bali,  or  Siva,  conquered 
Indra  and  the  thirty-three  gods  of  Vedism. 
Then  the  Western  Aryans  watched  their 
Indian  brethren  with  a  love  and  a  hatred 
combined,  something  similar  to  that  of  the 
man  who  idolizes  but  suspects  his  wife,  and 
their  bible,  the  "  Avesta,"  emphasizes  a  vast 
victory  to  Sivan  teachings.  The  rat-trap 
theory  seems  to  tumble  completely  to  pieces. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    EVIDENCE    FROM    GREECE 

Professor  Max  Muller  is  never  tired  of 
discoursing  on  the  real  origin  of  the  myth- 
ology of  Greece  and  Rome. 

"  The  '  Veda,'  "  he  says,  "  fills  a  gap  which 
no  literary  work  in  any  other  language  could 
fill."^ 

On  the  other  hand,  he  seems  to  have  the 
worst  opinion  of  all  the  mythology  "  indi- 
genous to  India."  It  is  full  of  wild  and 
fanciful  conceptions.^ 

The  Professor  seems  to  have  prepared  two 
packets,  and  labelled  the  first  "  Vedic 
Treasure "  ;  and  for  the  second  perhaps  he 

1  Max  Miiller,  "  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit  Litera- 
ture," p.  63. 

2  Max  Miiller,  "  Chips  from  a  German  Workship/' 
vol.  ii.,  p.  75. 

217 


2i8  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

borrowed  the  language  of  the  good  folk  who 
play  "  Patience,"  and  labelled  it  "  Indigenous 
Rubbish-heap." 

But  here  comes  the  puzzle,  for  the  valuable 
Packet  No.  i  never  reached  Greece  at  all. 
By  some  mistake  Packet  No.  2  seems  to  have 
been  sent  off.  What,  according  to  the  early 
Orientalists,  was  contained  in  this  packet  ? 

1.  Messrs.  Burnouf  and  Fauche  would 
answer :  Epic  poetry  so  like  Homer  in  a 
hundred  and  one  ways  that  his  work  is  plainly 
a  simple  copy. 

2.  The  ^'Theogony"  of  Hesiod,  for  the 
battle  between  Bali  and  Indra  and  Bali  and 
Brahma  is  plainly  the  great  Greek  battle 
of  the  "  Hundred-Handers." 

3.  Ample  confirmation  of  Sir  William 
Jones  and  H.  H.  Wilson,  who  announced 
that  almost  all  the  rites  and  religious  customs 
of  Greece  and  Italy  were  borrowed  from 
India,  such  as  the  Uttarayana  (twelfth  night 
festivities) ;  Dii  Lares  (offering  to  the  Pitri)  ; 
Mattu  Pongal  (cattle-blessing,  as  at  Rome)  ; 
the  Holi,  with  its  rough  and  indecent  merri- 
ment, pelting,  April-fooling,  etc. 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     219 

4.  Ample  confirmation,  also,  of  Sir  William 
Jones's  other  theory,  that  the  story  of  Osiris 
and  the  Dionysiac  of  Nonnus  also  borrow 
largely  from  the  "  Ramayana." 

The  hero  of  each  of  these  epics  travels 
in  India,  which  rather  upsets  Max  Miiller's 
undiscovered  America  theory,  that  Greece 
and  Egypt  knew  nothing  about  that  country. 
Bacchus  moves  about  with  Pan  as  a  coun- 
sellor, and  this  is  plainly  Hanuman.  Whilst 
Jupiter  as  a  bull  is  seducing  Europa,  a  mon- 
strous giant  with  a  hundred  heads,  named 
Typhoeus,  is  passing  near  the  cavern  where 
Jupiter  has  hidden  the  thunderbolt.  He  is 
attracted  by  the  smoke,  and  gets  hold  of  it. 
This  brings  about  a  monstrous  war  in  heaven, 
and  the  gods  in  terror  flee  away  disguised 
as  animals — Jupiter  as  a  ram,  Mercury  as 
an  ibis,  Juno  as  a  cow,  Bacchus  as  a 
goat. 

This  means  that  the  Greek  gods,  from 
animated  marble  statues,  were  made  into  the 
animal  gods  of  India.  Jupiter  at  last,  by  a 
trick,  gets  Cadmus,  dressed  as  a  shepherd,  to 
play   on    the   flute,   and   whilst    Typhoeus    is 


220  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

entranced  with  the  sound  he  steals  back  the 
thunderbolt. 

5.  The  fifth  gift  of  India  to  Greece  was  a 
Sivan  temple,  transported  bodily — the  cave- 
temple  of  Eleusis.  It  contained  the  three 
great  secrets  of  the  followers  of  Siva  : 

(i)  The  existence  of  one  Supreme,  All- 
powerful  God.  (This  was  the  crucial  revela- 
tion symbolized  by  a  tiny  Lingam  hidden 
away  in  a  basket,  the  famous  Cista.) 

(2)  The  mystery  of  agriculture  personified 
by  the  Greek  Durga. 

(3)  An  intoxicant. 

These  mysteries  were  kept  secret  under  a 
pain  of  death.  Cicero,  in  denouncing  these 
mysteries,  tells  us  that  human  sacrifices  were 
a  part  of  their  unhallowed  rites.  There  were 
songs,  there  were  dances,  there  was  an 
intoxicant — the  Indian  Soma,  or  some  im- 
provement on  it.  Naked  women  circum- 
ambulated the  altar — women  who,  unlike  the 
clothesless  women  of  early  India,  had  clothes, 
if  they  liked  to  wear  them.  The  gross  revel 
called  Baubo  Demudata  may  have  been 
something   like  the   6ri   Ka  Chakra  of  the 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     221 

Devi  Bashya.  But  Sri  (changed  to  Ceres) 
was  at  first  the  name  of  Durga,  although 
afterwards  Vishnu's  wife  stole  it.  That  lady, 
in  a  car  drawn  by  dragons — the  serpents  or 
Nagas  of  Siva  and  his  wife — came  in  with 
much  pomp,  and  brought  to  Greece  the 
knowledge  of  agriculture.  She  called  herself 
Rhea.  Her  son  Ganesa,  as  Janus,  carried 
the  same  boon  to  Rome. 

One  more  point  remains  :  the  close  simi- 
larity between  the  Yogis  of  Siva  and  the 
disciples  of  Pythagoras.  Colebrooke,  Sir 
William  Jones,  and  Professor  Hayman 
Wilson  were  much  struck  with  these  . 
and  Mountstuart  Elphinstone,  the  leading 
historian  of  early  India,  has  also  ably  sup- 
ported it. 

Pythagoras  was  born  about  570  B.C.  at 
Samos.  But  other  very  wild  legends  are  afloat 
concerning  his  birth.  He  was  declared  by 
some  to  be  the  son  of  Hermes,  by  others  the 
offspring  of  Apollo — a  fact  proved  by  his 
possessing  a  golden  thigh.  He  performed 
many  miracles,  and  travelled  in  Egypt,  and, 
as  some  say,  in  India.     The  great  scripture 


222  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

of  the  Yogis  of  Siva  is  the  ''  Yoga-sastra  " 
by  Patanjali ;  Colebrooke  calls  him  a  "mytho- 
logical being."  ^  The  same  is  said  of  Kapila, 
who  is  alleged  to  be  the  author  of  a  separate 
branch  of  the  Sankhya  teaching.  Like 
Pythagoras,  his  birth  was  carried  up  to  the 
gods.  He  was  called  by  some  a  son  of 
Brahma  ;  by  others  an  incarnation  of  Vishnu. 
But  a  fact  more  important  is  mentioned  by 
a  Hindu  scholar,  Sabhapati  Maudaliyar.  He 
declares  that  Kapila's  work  is  said  to  be  only 
a  commentary  of  a  work  still  more  remote  in 
the  distant  vista  of  time. 

Colebrooke  tells  us  that  the  word  '*  San- 
khya," used  to  denote  the  philosophy  of  Siva, 
is  derived  from  ''Sankhya"^  (numeral).  Sir 
William  Jones  wrote  an  essay  maintaining 
that  this  basis  of  numbers  was  to  be  accepted 
literally.  The  same  is  certainly  said  of  the 
philosophy    of    Pythagoras.     God    was    the 

1  Colebrooke,  "Essay"  ii.,  p.  241. 

2  "  The  Pythagoreans  did  not  separate  Numbers  from 
Things.  They  held  Number  to  be  the  Principle  and 
Material  of  things,  no  less  than  their  essence  and  power" 
(Lewis,  "  History  of  Philosophy,"  p.  65). 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     223 

One,  the  All  in  All,  the  great  a^x^-  This 
is  exactly  the  god  Siva.  In  the  hymn  about 
the  creation  from  the  "  Rig  Veda,"  that  I 
quoted  in  the  last  chapter,  Tad  is  the 
Pythagorean  One. 

These  philosophers  had  ten  "  Principia " 
for  the  number  Two — light  and  darkness, 
good  and  evil,  male  and  female,  finite  and 
infinite,  right  and  left,  etc.,  this  last  pair 
the  origin  probably  of  the  "  left-handed  "  and 
"  right  -  handed  "  deities  and  rites.  This 
dualism  is  conspicuous  in  "  Saivism,"  the  only 
religion  that  has  tried  to  grapple  with  the 
problem  of  the  origin  of  evil.  The  One-God 
in  one  form  is  Siva  (the  Prosperous),  in 
another,  Bhairava,  the  Lord  of  Hell.  The 
figure  Three  is  also  much  worked — the  three 
prongs  of  the  Trisula,  the  Trimurti,  the  three 
eyes  of  Siva,  etc. 

Says  Colebrooke,  narrating  other  points 
of  contact :  "  The  Pythagoreans,  and  Ocellus 
in  particular,  distinguish  as  parts  of  the  world, 
the  heaven,  earth,  and  the  interval  between 
them.   .   .   . 

"  Here  we  have  precisely  the  (swar,  bhu, 


224  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

and  antariksha),   heaven,   earth,   and   [tran- 
spicuous) intermediate  region  of  the  Hindus. 

"  Pythagoras,  and  after  him  Ocellus, 
peoples  the  middle  or  aerial  region  with 
demons,  as  heaven  with  gods,  and  the  earth 
with  men.  Then  again  they  agree  precisely 
with  the  Hindus,  who  place  the  gods  above, 
man  beneath,  and  spiritual  creatures,  flitting 
unseen,  in  the  intermediate  region.  The 
"  Vedas  "  throughout  teem  with  prayers  and 
incantations  to  avert  and  repel  the  molesta- 
tions of  aerial  spirits,  mischievous  imps,  who 
crowd  about  the  sacrifice,  and  impede  the 
religious  rite. 

"  Nobody  needs  to  be  reminded,  that 
Pythagoras  and  his  successors  held  the 
doctrine  of  the  metempsychosis,  as  the 
Hindus  universally  do  the  same  tenet  of 
transmigration  of  souls. 

"  They  agree  likewise  generally  in  dis- 
tinguishing the  sensitive  material  organ 
[manias)  from  the  rational  and  conscious 
living  soul  {jivdtmau)  ;  %v^oq  and  ^prji^  of 
Pythagoras ;  one  perishing  with  the  body, 
the  other  immortal. 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     225 

"  Like  the  Hindus,  Pythagoras,  with  other 
Greek  philosophers,  assigned  a  subtle  ethereal 
clothing  to  the  soul  apart  from  the  corporeal 
part,  and  a  grosser  clothing  to  it  when  united 
with  body — the  sukhsma  or  {lingo)  sarira, 
and  sthula  sarira  of  the  Sankhyas,  and  the 
rest. 

"  They  concur  even  in  the  limit  assigned 
to  mutation  and  change  ;  deeming  all  which 
is  sublunary  is  mutable,  and  that  which  is 
above  the  moon  subject  to  no  change  in 
itself.  Accordingly,  the  manes,  doomed  to 
a  succession  of  births  rise,  as  the  '  Vedas^ 
teach,  no  further  than  the  moon  :  while  those 
only    pass    that    bourne    who    are    never    to 


return."^ 


But  the  case  for  the  identity  of  the  teach- 
ing of  Patanjali  and  Pythagoras  has  much 
stronger  evidence.  The  Yoga  was  an  ap- 
paratus, specially  designed  to  push  out  of 
existence,  in  all  lands,  the  crude  polytheism 
of  the  savage,  with  its  fat  priesthoods  and 
hocus-pocus    rites.     For    this,    Siva's    secret 

1  Something  of  this  filtered  even  into  the  "  Rig  Veda," 
whose  bards  ignored  any  survival  of  man. 

15 


226  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

societies  penetrated  everywhere ;  and  pro- 
claimed a  God,  One,  the  All  in  All.  But 
the  Sivan  teaching  as  known  in  India  had 
one  or  two  points  that  were  grossly  irrational. 
If  these  are  to  be  discovered  literally  trans- 
ferred to  the  teaching  of  Pythagoras,  we  get 
inconceivably  strong  evidence  of  identity. 

The  metempsychosis  in  its  earlier  form 
was  hailed  as  a  priceless  gift.  The  strange 
and  new  feeling  produced  by  the  Soma^  was 
deemed  a  proof  that  death  did  not  end  all. 
There  was  a  life  beyond  for  man,  an  eternal 
life. 

But  the   metempsychosis  of  the  Sankhya 

philosophy    was    a    colossal    punishment,  an 

apparatus    of    human    torture    arranged    to 

endure  through  tens  of  thousands  of  hopeless 

years.      It  was  a  punishment,  too,   arranged 

for  man  before  he  could  have  committed  any 

1  Soma  produces  the  Amrit  (Sect,  vii.,  cap.  ii., 
hymn  6).  We  read,  too,  "Soma  has  a  thousand  eyes  " 
(Sect,  vii.,  cap.  ii.,  hymn  i).  This  is  plainly  connecting 
Soma  with  Siva.  We  read,  too,  that  Soma,  "like  the 
Bull,  the  Monarch  of  the  Herd,  shakes  his  horns  and 
shows  his  might "  (Sect,  vi.,  cap.  viii,,  hymn  3).  The 
crescent  moon,  being  the  Taurine,  is  Siva's  special 
emblem. 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     227 

offence.  A  mortal  is  born  ;  and  his  career 
is  adjusted  for  him  through  an  infinitude  of 
re-births  by  an  unintelligent  Causation,  called 
"  Karma."  He  may  be  a  sweeper,  a  Prince 
in  satin,  a  mosquito,  an  arch-demon,  gigantic 
in  shape  and  with  the  head  of  a  buffalo  ;  he 
may  be  the  god  Indra  ;  he  may  be  a  beautiful 
woman  ;  he  may  be  an  old  sow.  Karma, 
or  the  Causation  of  his  previous  deeds,  is 
supposed  to  act  as  an  infallible  judge,  and  to 
silently  fix  the  exact  punishment  or  reward 
that  is  due  to  each  action.  The  pessimism 
of  the  ecstatic  Yogi  proclaimed  that  every- 
thing in  the  world  of  matter  was  pain  ;  and 
this  torture  could  only  be  avoided  by  the 
individual  becoming  so  purified  and  ethereal- 
ized  by  ascetic  practices,  in  birth  after  birth, 
as  to  become,  after  many  thousand  years, 
entitled  to  the  Nirvana  of  blissful  extinction. 
This  is  certainly  not  the  Amrit  of  Soma 
Natha.  Some  strong  reason  must  have  inter- 
vened. The  fear  of  death  is  said  to  be  the 
one  common,  absorbing  basis  of  religion  in 
all  lands.  Perhaps  some  phase  of  the  per- 
sistent persecution  that  the  Turanians  received 


228  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

from  the  Aryas  angered  them  beyond  endur- 
ance, and  made  them  strike  out  a  deadly  blow. 

"  God,  I'swara,  the  supreme  ruler,"  says 
Colebrooke,  quoting  Patanjali,  ''is  a  soul  or 
spirit  distinct  from  other  souls  ;  unaffected  by 
the  ills  with  which  they  are  beset ;  uncon- 
cerned with  good  or  bad  deeds  and  their 
consequences,  and  with  fancies  or  passing 
thoughts.  In  him  is  the  utmost  omniscience. 
He  is  the  instructor  of  the  earliest  beings  that 
have  a  beginning  (the  deities  of  mythology); 
himself  infinite,  unlimited  by  time."  ^ 

"  Kapila,"  says  our  author,  "  on  the  other 
hand,  denies  a  I'swara,  ruler  of  the  world 
by  volition  :  alleging  that  there  is  no  proof  of 
God's  existence,  unperceived  by  the  senses, 
not  inferred  from  reasoning,  nor  yet  revealed. 
He  acknowledges,  indeed,  a  being  issuing 
from  nature,  who  is  intelligence  absolute ; 
source  of  all  individual  intelligences,  and 
origin  of  other  existences  successively  evolved 
and  developed.  .  .  .  The  truth  of  such  a 
I'swara  is  demonstrated :  the  creator  of  worlds 
in  such  sense  of  creation  :  for  '  the  existence 
1  Colebrooke,  "Essays/'  vol.  i.,  p.  263. 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     229 

of  effects  is  dependent  upon  consciousness,  not 
upon  I'swara,  .  .  .  beginning  with  the  age 
and  having  an  end  with  the  consummation 
of  all  things.'" 

Now,  both  these  postulates  go  out  of  their 
way  to  treat  the  Vedic  gods  as  finite  in  time, 
and  their  hymns  and  sacrifices  as  utterly  use- 
less. Colebrooke  quotes  another  passage, 
which  proclaims  that  "sacrifice  ...  is  at- 
tended with  the  slaughter  of  animals  ...  is 
not  innocent  or  pure  ;  and  the  heavenly  meed 
of  pious  acts  is  transitory.  .   .  ."^ 

The  announcement  spread  everywhere  that 
Siva  destroys  the  entire  universe  at  the  end 
of  the  Kalpa.  This  seems  to  have  been  the 
blow.  It  killed  all  the  Vedic  gods,  but  the 
word  Amrit  had  to  be  written  backward  in 
Saivism,  too. 

Colebrooke  shows  that  the  Pythagoreans 
had  this  metempsychosis  of  the  Sankhya, 
with  annihilation  viewed  as  eternal  bliss. 

"  In  like  manner  the  Grecian  philosophers, 
and  Pythagoras  and  Plato  in  particular,  taught 
that '  the  end  of  philosophy  is  to  free  the  mind 
1  "  Karika,"  I. 


230  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

from  encumbrances  which  hinder  its  progress 
towards  perfection,  and  to  raise  it  to  the 
contemplation  of  immutable  truth,'  and  '  to 
disengage  it  from  all  animal  passions,  that  it 
may  rise  above  sensible  objects  to  the  con- 
templation of  the  world  of  intelligence.'" 

''The  professed  design,"  says  Colebrooke, 
''  of  all  the  schools  of  the  Sankhya  ...  is  to 
teach  the  means  by  which  eternal  beatitude 
may  be  attained  after  death,  if  not  before  it." 

He  explains  a  little  further  on  that  this 
**  eternal  beatitude"  means  "an  exemption 
from  metempsychosis." 

Now,  the  Yogis  of  India  had  a  valid  reason 
for  changing  their  prolonged  life  of  promised 
joy  for  a  metempsychosis  of  annihilation  and 
despair.  Some  such  change  was  necessary 
when  it  was  announced  that  Siva  destroyed 
at  the  end  of  each  "  age  "  every  living  thing, 
including  Brahma  and  Indra.  But  Greece 
accepted  the  preposterous  Indian  metem- 
psychosis without  any  such  excuse.  This 
gives  us,  I  think,  the  strongest  evidence  of 
all  against  Professor  Max  Miiller's  paste- 
^  Colebrooke,  "  Essays,"  vol.  i.,  p.  250. 


THE  EVIDENCE  FROM  GREECE     231 

board  ''  Cyclopean  gates."  Most  people  will 
agree  with  the  Indian  historian,  Mountstuart 
Elphinstone,  who  thus  sums  up  the  ques- 
tion : 

"  It  is  difficult  to  deny  a  common  origin 
when  we  find  a  whole  system  so  similar  as 
that  of  the  Hindu  and  the  Pythagorean,  and 
so  unlike  the  natural  suggestions  of  human 
reason." 


CHAPTER  X 

ANIMAL     WORSHIP 

I  SAID  in  an  earlier  chapter  that  a  Professor 
who  looked  over  my  work  had  raised  a  very 
important  point.  He  held  that  no  Sanskrit 
scholars  could  possibly  admit  any  connection 
between  Sita  and  Leda.  The  "  Vahan  "  of  a 
god  was  merely  an  emblematical  animal. 
Brahma's  Vahan  was  a  swan  or,  as  the  Pro- 
fessor declared,  a  goose  ;  and  the  emblem 
was  simply  used  to  denote  the  accompanying 
god,  without  any  idea  of  literal  animal  repro- 
duction. I  attached  little  importance  to  the 
matter  one  way  or  another  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  then  a  sudden  thought  flashed  upon  me, 
which  seemed  to  show  that  my  critic  had 
started  a  topic  of  the  full  importance  of  which 
neither  of  us  had  had  the  least  idea. 

Very  early  man,  when  he  obtained  a  rough 
232 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  233 

idea  of  cause  and  effect,  soon  saw  that  its 
laws  were  being  constantly  upset  by  some 
mysterious  unknown  force.  Before  his  eyes 
were  creatures  of  immense  power — a  tiger 
who  could  kill  a  man  with  a  pat  of  his  paw,  a 
serpent  who  could  swallow  a  buffalo.  Small 
wonder  that  in  all  countries  animals  got  to  be 
viewed  as  gods.  This  animal  divinity  had,  let 
us  say,  three  epochs  of  development : 

1.  The  gods  as  animals. 

2.  The  gods  partly  humanized,  like  the 
Centaur,  which  in  Greece  was  a  horse  with  a 
human  head,  in  India  a  man  with  a  horse's 
head. 

3.  Animal  divinity  lapsing  into  heraldry  ; 
but  this  seems  chiefly  noticeable  in  India 
when  the  god  and  his  religion  are  dying  or 
dead. 

Colebrooke  told  us,  as  I  have  already  men- 
tioned, that  only  four  gods  were  worshipped 
in  India  in  his  day  : 

I  and  2.  Mahadeva  and  Durga.  Their 
Vahan,  Nandi,  the  Bull  of  Siva,  is  as  much  a 
symbol  of  animal  procreation  as  their  lingam- 
yoni. 


234  RAMA  and  homer 

3.  Ganesa.  The  Indians  hold  that  he  has 
a  wife,  the  daughter  of  Visva-rupa.  He  has 
an  elephant's  head. 

4.  Vishnu.  But  Vaishnavism  has  dwindled 
in  Bengal  to  a  worship  of  Rama  alone.  He 
and  Sita  are  believed  to  be  a  perfect  model 
of  what  sexual  love  ought  to  be  when  trans- 
ferred to  the  skies. 

Now  the  idea  that  flashed  upon  me  was 
this — that  the  ''  Ramayana,"  instead  of  deal- 
ing with  sexual  love  in  the  third  or  heraldic 
stage,  deals  far  more  crudely  and  nudely  with 
the  first  stage  of  animal  divinity  than  any 
other  work  that  I  know  of. 

What  is  the  story  of  the  "Ramayana"? 
Sita,  a  lady  born  of  a  swan,  is  carried  away 
by  a  fiend.  A  supernatural  bird,  Jatayus, 
who  is  protecting  her,  fights  with  beak  and 
claws,  but  he  is  overcome.  The  fiend  is  one 
of  a  group  of  serpents  and  elephants  (both 
called  Naga  in  India),  and  this  race  is  called 
Nagas,  in  the  "  Mahawanso." 

When  Rama  kills  him,  he  is  described  as 
lying  like  a  great  elephant  on  the  ground. 
His  son  Indrajit  has  elephant's  tusks.     The 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  235 

waillngs  of  his  widows  in  their  palace  are 
like  the  moanings  of  elephants.  Then  his 
arrows  are  not  real  arrows  ;  they  are  serpents 
that  run  about  and  poison  their  foes. 
Kumbhakarna,  Ravana's  brother,  is  plainly 
one  of  these  huge  serpents  which,  according 
to  Buffon,  swallow  a  buffalo,  and  take  weeks 
and  months  to  digest  it.  One  in  Java, 
according  to  an  authority  named  Leguat,  was 
50  feet  long.  Did  not  Kumbhakarna's 
breakfast  take  six  months  to  digest  ?  A  shark 
with  a  colossal  mouth  guards  the  sea  entrance 
to  Lanka.  This  shark,  named  Surasa,  is 
killed  by  a  supernatural  monkey  who  allows 
the  shark  to  swallow  him  and  then  bursts  his 
belly  asunder.  Sampati,  a  vulture,  who  saw 
Sita  fly  by  in  Ravana's  car,  tells  the  monkeys 
whither  she  has  gone.  She  is  tortured  by 
female  Rakshasas,  Aja  mukhi  (goat-head) 
Haya  mukhi  (horse-head),  etc.,  but  comforted 
by  a  jackdaw.  The  horses  of  Ravana's  car 
weep  at  his  downfall.  Indrajit  has  four 
tigers  in  his  chariot ;  that  of  Dhumraksha  is 
drawn  by  wild  asses.  Owls,  crows,  falcons, 
circle  round  this  latter   general    as  he  rides 


236  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

along.  An  enormous  vulture  perches  on  his 
standard. 

Turning  to  the  bears  and  the  monkeys,  are 
they  not  invaluable  ?  The  ''  Ramayana"  has 
been  written  and  rewritten,  sung,  altered, 
and  resung.  A  great  genius,  Tulsi  Das,  ex- 
hibited energy  enough,  and,  indeed,  courage, 
to  rewrite  it  from  beginning  to  end ;  but 
no  one  has  succeeded  in  erasing  or  "civi- 
lizing "  these  bears  and  monkeys.  They 
dominate  in  all  illustrations  of  the  poem, 
whether  on  the  granite  of  ancient  rock 
temples,  or  the  mud  and  gilt  idols  of  modern 
bazaars.  What  were  these  bears  and 
monkeys  ?  Did  not  Brahma  call  the  gods 
together  before  Rama  was  born  ?  Did  he  not 
urge  them  to  procreate,  with  Apsaras  and 
other  supernatural  consorts,  an  army  of  gods 
and  demi-gods  ?  There  is  nothing  "  heraldic  " 
in  all  this.  Did  he  not  thus  people  the 
woods  with  supernatural  beings  of  amazing 
strength,  who  could  carry  mountains  on  their 
shoulders,  and  fling  about  gigantic  tree- 
trunks  and  mighty  rocks  ? 

The  bears  have  the  habits  of  real  bears, 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  237 

although  they  are  gigantic  and  supernatural. 
They  have  only  one  method  of  attack — 
namely,  to  close  with  their  foes  and  squeeze 
them  to  death.  The  monkeys  have  the 
habits  of  real  monkeys,  although  for  cocoa- 
nuts  and  bits  of  stick  they  fling  tree-trunks  at 
their  foes,  and  rocks  as  big  as  a  four-wheeled 
cab. 

We  are  allowed  to  see  the  household  of 
one  of  these  special  monkeys.  The  ape,  Bali, 
usurps  the  throne  of  his  brother  Sugriva. 
Rama  restores  him  to  it.  Sugriva  becomes 
the  husband  of  a  female  monkey,  called  Tara, 
his  brother's  widow.  Does  he  view  her  as  a 
mere  crest  on  a  tea-spoon,  as  our  Professor 
would  suggest,  a  blazon  on  the  carriage  of  a 
stockbroker  who  has  just  bought  a  peerage  ? 
Not  at  all.  Tara  had  already  given  birth  to  a 
monkey-giant  named  Angada,  who  does  good 
work  in  his  uncle's  army.  These  bears  and 
monkeys  go  back  to  the  first  archaic  sketch 
of  the  poet.  We  reach  what  we  may  call 
'*  the  bedrock." 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  gauge  the  impor- 
tance of  all  this  to  our  present  inquiry.     The 


238  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Professors  may  be  said  to  be  fighting  in  the 
car,  Pushpaka,  from  which  combatants  can 
discharge  their  arrows,  but  which  remains  in 
the  gloom  ;  and  the  gloom  has  helped  them 
much  more  than  their  arrows.  But,  suppos- 
ing that  this  battle-car  is  not  the  car  Pushpaka, 
but  only  a  Neo-Vishnu  imitation.  Let  us 
propound  a  few  questions  : 

1.  The  Indian  religion  in  the  old  days  was 
a  polytheism.  The  religion  of  Neo-Vishnu  is 
a  monotheism,  imitated  chiefly  from  Saivism. 
Neo-Vishnu  in  bodily  form,  as  Krishna  or 
Rama,  or  some  other  Avatara,  rules  the 
universe  from  the  Himalayan  Mountains, 
which  were  believed  to  be  the  centre  of  the 
Kosmos. 

The  first  question,  then,  is  :  Does  the 
'*  Ramayana  "  treat  of  only  one  god  ?  Or  did 
thousands  of  brilliant  gods  and  demi-gods 
surge  up  to  the  battle-cry  of  Rama,  from 
East  and  West  and  North  and  South,  as 
stated  in  the  poem  ? 

2.  Was  there  any  animal  worship  in  India 
at  the  date  of  the  poem  ?  and,  if  so,  did  these 
animals    propagate  ?     Or    were    the   divine 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  239 

animals,  as  a  later  Sanskrit  scholar  assures  us, 
mere  heraldry  ? 

3.  Was  Siva,  at  this  time,  the  great  enemy, 
of  the  Brahmans,  and  were  the  battles  at 
Lanka  fought  against  that  enemy,  in  a 
mighty  struggle  of  the  gods  ?  Or  was  Siva 
at  that  time  viewed  as  the  *'  Third  Person  of 
the  Trinity,"  a  post  that  he  afterwards  held 
in  Neo-Vishnu  theories. 

4.  The  shrewd  and  learned  Professor 
Hayman  Wilson  tells  us  that  in  Neo-Vishnu 
days  religion  became  a  mere  mechanism  ; 
Sanskrit  holy  books  were  studied  ''  merely 
for  the  sake  of  repeating  the  words,  the  whole 
time  being  taken  up  in  silly  rites. "^  Was 
Rama  a  mere  mechanical  toy,  wound  up  by 
his  priest  ?  Or  was  he  a  man  of  strong 
individuality,  born  for  a  great  mission  ? 

5.  Does  the  author  of  the  "  Ramayana,"  in 
old  India,  stand  almost  alone  as  a  master 
of  pathos  and  of  dramatic  construction  ? 
Or  is  his  story  the  most  nonsensical, 
higgledy-piggledy  muddle  that  has  ever 
been    presented    to    the    world    in    any   lan- 

1  Wilson,  "  Works,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  49,  56. 


240  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

guage  ?  Two  hundred  and  fifty  millions 
of  his  countrymen  annually  answer  this 
question. 

6.  Professor  Monier  Williams  divides 
Indian  religion  into  two  halves — the  religion 
of  the  Bloody  Altar,  which  prevailed  until  the 
advent  of  Buddhism  ;  and  the  religion  of 
Vegetarianism,  the  religion  of  the  Bloodless 
Altar.  He  declares  that  all  through  the 
Brahmana  period  (800  to  500  b.c.)  thousands 
of  animals  were  killed  every  day."  ^ 

Now,  these  questions  seem  all  answered  by 
the  Professors  in  their  writings,  and  their 
answers  are  noteworthy,  for  in  them  we  get, 
as  far  as  I  can  see,  the  only  tangible  evidence 
they  can  bring  forward  in  support  of  their 
confident  pronouncement  that  the  "  Rama- 
yana "  is  much  later  than  the  ''Iliad."  If 
the    Neo-Vishnu    higgledy-piggledy    is    ac- 

^  Monier  Williams's  "  Hinduism,"  p.  4.  See  also 
Asoka's  Rock  Edict,  No.  i  :  "  Formerly,  in  the  great 
refectory  and  temple  of  King  Piyadusi,  the  friend  of  the 
Devas,  many  hundred  thousand  animals  were  daily  sacri- 
ficed for  the  sake  of  food  meat  .  .  .  but  now  the  joyful 
chorus  resounds  that  henceforward  not  a  single  animal 
shall  be  put  to  death." 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  241 

cepted,  no  doubt  it  was.  All  the  Professors, 
in  a  more  or  less  nebulous  way,  support  Neo- 
Vishnu. 

Sir  M.  Monier  Williams. 

This  Professor,  in  his  analysis  of  the  poem 
in  his  *'  Indian  Epics,"  treats  the  Neo-Vishnu 
interpolations  as  quite  authentic  ;  and  his 
contention  that  the  Indian  poem  is  stolen 
from  the  Christian  Gospels  would  be  quite 
unmeaning,  unless  he  is  alluding  to  the  fact 
that  an  Incarnation  of  the  Supreme  God 
figures  in  both. 


Professor  Weber. 

This  scholar  holds  that  the  "  Mahabha- 
rata"  stole  a  great  deal  from  the  Fourth 
Gospel.  He  holds,  too,  that  the  "  Rama- 
yana"  is  more  modern  still,  although  in  this 
Professor  Monier  Williams  declares  that  he 
stands  alone.  If  the  "  Ramayana  "  is  more 
modern  than  a  work  filched  from  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  it  certainly  does  not  belong  to  Old 
India. 

16 


242  rAma  and  homer 

Professor  Max  Milller, 

This  scholar  tumbles  about  the  Incarnations 
of  Vishnu  in  a  more  hopeless  way  than  Pro- 
fessor Weber.  There  is  a  silly  account  of 
Vishnu  as  Parasu-rama,  and  Vishnu  as 
Rama,  meeting  on  earth,  and,  like  two 
schoolboys,  quarrelling  as  to  which  is  the 
best  archer,  and  then  having  a  stand  -  up 
fight.  All  this  occurs  when  a  third  Vishnu 
is  Supreme  God  on  earth,  for  the  rule  of  the 
ninth  Avatara  (Buddha),  which  began  500  B.C., 
has  to  extend,  according  to  the  Neo- Vishnu 
theories,  over  2i2ioyo2)2>  years.  Max  Muller 
authenticates  all  this. 

He  tells  us,  too,  that  the  "  Ramayana " 
"  describes  a  war  against  the  uncivilized 
inhabitants  of  the  South."  This  short  phrase 
certainly  crowds  together  as  many  fallacies  as 
a  sentence  of  the  same  length  could  possibly 
crowd. 

By  the  words  "  uncivilized  inhabitants  of 
the  South  "  the  Professor  plainly  means  men 
and  women  (mere  mortals)  dwelling  in 
Southern  India. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  243 

1.  No  such  people  opposed  the  advance  of 
Rama  in  the  poem. 

2.  The  monkeys  and  bears  which  the  Pro- 
fessor calls  '*  uncivilized  inhabitants  "  came 
all  from  the  southern  jungles,  and  constituted 
Rama's  army. 

3.  He  is  plainly  unaware  that  they  were  all 
superhuman  beings.  The  bears,  for  instance, 
fight  by  hugging.  But  Indrajitand  the  other 
Yakshas  is  each  as  big  as  the  Nelson  Column. 
With  such  the  biggest  bear  in  the  Zoological 
Gardens  would  be  only  able  to  hug  a  big  toe. 

4.  The  phrase  "  uncivilized  inhabitants " 
is  a  very  unhappy  phrase  to  describe  the  sub- 
jects of  Ravana,  who  lived  in  palaces  of 
crystal  and  silver  and  white  marble,  plenti- 
fully sprinkled  with  the  diamonds  and 
emeralds  taken  from  Kuvera,  the  god  of 
wealth;  whilst  the  ''civilizing"  Rama  and 
Sita  lived  in  a  hut  made  of  broken  boughs 
and  dead  leaves. 

The  Professor  also  passes  this  criticism  : 
"  The  epic  poems  offer  no  assistance  to  the 
comparative  mythologist."     Truly  this  is  an 
imperfect  description  of  the  "  Ramayana." 


244  RAMA  and  homer 

From  Indian  jungles  sprang  the  main 
religious  theories  of  Indian  religions,  of  all 
religions.  Early  man  lived  in  a  cave,  and 
his  sole  food  was  the  dead  bodies  of  men  and 
animals  killed  with  his  bow.  He  judged  that 
the  animal  gods  around  him  required  the  same 
sustenance  to  prolong  life.  Religion  became 
at  once  a  give-and-take  idea.  Man  sacrificed 
animals  to  God,  and  expected  God  in  return 
to  protect  him  from  mundane  evils.  Blood 
was  the  most  precious  item  in  the  barter. 

An  old  work,  the  "  Kali  Ka  Purana,"  sets 
this  forth.  In  it  Siva  explains  how  the 
divine  favour  is  to  be  obtained,  and  he 
declares  that  it  is  through  sacrifices  that 
Princes  ^*  obtain  bliss  and  victory  over  their 
enemies."  "  The  blood  of  a  wild  bull  gives 
Kali  pleasure  for  a  year,"  but  a  "  bird  whose 
throat  is  blue,  and  his  head  red,  and  legs 
black  with  white  feathers,"  is  quite  her 
favourite  ;  and  the  Rohita  fish  "  gives  her 
pleasure  for  300  years." 

But  it  is  when  we  come  to  warm  human 
blood  that  we  find  her  real  sentiments.  "  An 
oblation  of  human  blood  which  has  been  puri- 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  245 

fied  with  holy  texts  is  the  Amrita."  There  is 
a  curious  passage  in  the  "  Zend  Avesta  "  : 

"  '  If  one  buries  in  this  earth  dead  dogs  and 
dead  men  and  does  not  dig  them  up  again  for 
half  a  year  .  .  .  what  is  the  punishment  for 
this  ?' 

"Then  answered  Ahura  Mazda:  'Let 
them  strike  him  five  hundred  blows  with  the 
horse-goad,  five  hundred  with  the  QVaosho- 
charana.'  " 

This  is  called  the  sin  for  which  there  is  no 
forgiveness.^  It  is  evidently  levelled  against 
the  burial  rites  of  the  followers  of  Siva.  It  is 
especially  laid  down  that  a  dead  body  shall  be 
left  to  the  *' devouring  carnivorous  dogs  and 
birds."  Did  these  ideas  come  to  the  Proto- 
Aryans  ?  A  passage  in  the  *'  Mahabharata  " 
might  be  urged  for  this  conclusion.  When 
the  five  sons  of  Pandu  became  slaves  their 
arms  were  concealed  in  corpses  hanging  up 
in  trees  in  cemeteries.  This  would  be  no 
concealment  unless  the  corpse  exposition  was 
general.  Far  from  the  *'  Ramayana  "  offer- 
ing no  puzzles  to  the  comparative  mytholo- 
^  "  For  this  there  is  no  atonement  "  (Fargard). 


246  RAMA  and  homer 

gist,  they  crowd  upon  him.  What  about  the 
vast  gathering  of  birds  that  came  to  watch 
the  battle  between  Rama  and  Ravana.  The 
birds  were  all  animal  gods.  Was  this  the 
first  rude  sketch  of  the  spectacle  ?  In  the 
words  of  Pope — 

"  The  gazing  gods  leaned  forwards  from  the  sky." 

Of  the  six  questions  that  we  propounded, 
that  sixth  is  the  most  important.  It  is  crucial. 
Was  the  sacrifice  in  India  at  the  date  of  the 
"  Ramayana  "  an  animal  sacrifice  ?  To  answer 
this  question  we  must  turn  to  the  "  Rama- 
yana "  itself.  Rama's  birth  was  procured  by 
a  great  horse  sacrifice. 

To  begin  with,  was  it  an  animal  sacrifice  ? 
— the  Brahmanism  of  Pre-Buddhistic  days, 
not  the  bloodless  altar  of  Post-Buddhistic 
days  which  Vaishnavism  had  adopted  from 
:^akya  Muni.  All  the  Kings  and  all  the 
gods  w^ere  summoned.  The  most  minute 
points  of  the  ceremony  were  carried  out :  the 
'*  Ascension  of  the  Fire  "  as  laid  down  in  the 
"  Kalpa  Sastra,"  the  "  Expiations  "  as  they 
were  called,    the    "  Libations,"  the   offerings 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  247 

to  the  horse  of  flowers  and  perfumes.  Kau- 
salya,  the  Queen,  made  her  Pradakshinas 
(circlings)  round  the  animal.  She  was  then 
led  by  the  Adhwaryu,  or  officiating  priest, 
and  she  touched  its  nose.  She  then  lay 
down  beside  it  for  a  whole  night.  This  is 
animal  worship,  rude,  crude,  nude.  Compare 
it  with  the  horse  sacrifice  in  the  ''  Rig 
Veda"  which  is  a  history  rather  than  a 
hymn.  Max  Mliller  confesses  its  modern 
extravagance.  That  of  the  "  Ramayana  "  is 
ancient  and  rude.  There  is  one  detail  in  the 
latter  which  the  "  Rig  Veda  "  does  not  give 
— namely,  that  a  vast  number  of  other 
animals  were  slaughtered  with  the  horse. 
This  takes  it  completely  away  from  the 
region  of  Neo- Vishnu. 

Rama's  epoch  is  called  the  "Age  of  Gold." 
In  those  happy  times  the  earth  was  supposed 
to  give  forth  its  fruits  without  cultivation. 
Rama  and  his  brother  at  Chitra  Kuta  erect 
a  hut  of  leaves  and  broken  boughs.  Lakhs- 
mana  kills  a  black  antelope  with  his  bow. 
They  feed  upon  it,  the  wife  taking  the 
remains  after  the  males  have  eaten.     Lakhs- 


248  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

mana  kills  several  other  antelopes,  and  dries 
them  in  smoke  for  preservation.  The 
brothers  at  their  first  meal  give  to  the  "  gods 
and  manes  summoned  on  the  occasion  "  their 
portion  of  the  meat.  Similar  offerings  are 
made  when  the  smoke-dried  venison  is  con- 
sumed. Plainly  the  sacrifice  in  the  original 
poem  is  always  animal  sacrifice,  and  the 
brothers  perform  it  although  they  are 
Kshatriyas.  This,  in  the  days  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Neo- Vishnu,  would  be  the  sin  for 
which  there  is  no  forgiveness.  Also  in  one 
verse  Sita  makes  an  offering  to  all  the  gods. 
Remark,  these  gods  are  the  same  as  the  gods 
of  the  army  of  Rama — animal  gods — a  poly- 
theism ;  whereas  the  Neo-Vishnu  religion  is 
a  monotheism.  Another  point  is  remarkable. 
In  the  Buddhist  forest-hermitages  vegetables 
are  cultivated.  But  in  the  hermitages  seen 
by  Rama  nothing  of  the  sort  is  mentioned. 

From  Behar  to  Adam's  Bridge  the  brothers 
do  not  appear  to  have  seen  a  house  ;  and 
Professor  McDonnell,  Boden  Professor  at 
Oxford,  tells  us  that  the  site  where  stood 
Patna,    the   capital   of   India   at  the   date  of 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  249 

Megas-thenes,  is  described  in  the  '*  Rama- 
yana  "  as  a  houseless  waste.  Also  we  hear 
nothing  of  the  hideous  idea,  the  pessimistic 
metempsychosis  of  the  Vaishnavas,  that 
forces  every  mortal  to  go  through  thousands 
of  mortal  lives,  all  pure  misery  ;  to  be  ended 
at  last  only  by  a  Nirvana  of  annihilation. 

The  holy  man,  Sharabangha,  dies  and 
Indra  and  his  Devas  appear  to  him  at  death 
to  carry  him  off  to  eternal  bliss.  I  was 
struck,  too,  with  a  passage  describing  the 
furies  that  vexed  Sita.  They  say  with  glee  : 
"We  will  kill  you,  and  carry  your  body  to 
the  Nikum-bhila  (cemetery),  and  eat  you 
and  have  a  dance."  Does  not  this  seem  to 
describe  a  very  early  form  of  the  Sivan 
Mystery?  Indeed,  the  fact  that  every  one 
of  Ravana's  followers  is  described  as  an  ogre, 
seems  not  a  satire,  but  a  plain  realistic  account 
of  biva's  followers  in  very  archaic  days. 

And  we  have  also  now  and  then  a  passage 
which  throws  side-light  on  what  I  call 
"animal  divinity."  Certain  ascetics  were 
disturbed  by  a  foul  giantess  named  Tadaka, 
who  possessed   the    "vigour  of  a    thousand 


250  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

elephants."  They  sought  the  aid  of  Rama. 
The  two  brothers  set  out  to  help  them  and, 
when  they  reached  the  forest  which  she  in- 
habited, they  suddenly  saw  a  ''  second  forest " 
surge  up  in  the  dim  mist.  It  was  a  *'  magical 
wood,  tangled  and  impenetrable,  where  the 
tick-tick  of  the  cricket  was  answered  by  the 
lugubrious  bowlings  of  many  fearful  animals 
— the  lion,  the  tiger,  the  wild  boar,  the 
rhinoceros  and  the  elephant."  This  ''second 
wood "  must  have  haunted  the  dreams  of 
many  poor  Yogis.  To  this  day  many  perish 
from  wild  animals  in  the  Island  of  Sagara 
where  the  Ganges  reaches  the  sea. 

Neo-  Vishnu. 

Then  mark  the  portentous  absurdity  of 
the  Neo-Vishnu  additions.  All  the  gods 
and  men  having  banded  together  in  their 
extremities,  to  give  to  the  world  a  mortal  hero 
to  baffle  a  weird  spell,  exactly  what  they  did 
not  want  tumbles  down  upon  them.  When 
the  days  of  Queen  Kausalya  are  completed, 
a   god — -the    Supreme    God — comes    forth, 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  251 

smirking,  who  seems  to  forget  that  his  Neo- 
Vishnu  ceremonial  has  been  completely 
traversed  by  an  early  Brahmanic  bloody 
offering.  Would  not  such  an  appearance  be 
received  by  the  Brahmans  and  their  King 
much  as  a  figure  of  Guy  Fawkes  might  be 
received  if  it  entered  a  High  Church  at 
Brighton  on  November  5  during  *'  Mass"  ? 
Then  take  the  love-passages  between  Neo- 
Vishnu  and  Sita.  Recollect  that  this  god  is 
the  creator,  and  also  the  destroyer  of  the 
universe.  Like  Siva,  at  the  end  of  a  Kalpa, 
he  sits  on  a  lotus  in  the  eternal  waters  with 
Lakhsmi  for  his  Sakti  and  creates  new 
worlds.  The  duration  of  the  universe  each 
time  is  announced  as  4,320,000  years.  It  is 
divided  into  four  Yugas.  This  would  make 
each  Yuga  about  a  billion  years.  Rama 
with  Parasu-rama  and  Vamana  occupy  the 
second  of  these  with  their  Avataras.  This 
means  that  each  of  these  is  a  Supreme 
God  in  bodily  form,  present  and  super- 
vising mundane  affairs,  for  some  333,333 
years, 

1.   Can  we  believe  that  this  Almighty  God 


252  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

pretended   that  he   had  fallen  in   love   with 
poor  little  Sita,  and  married  her  ?  ^ 

2.  Can  we  believe  that  he  allowed  her  to 
be  carried  off  from  him  by  a  fiend,  and  to  be 
tortured  by  female  furies  ? 

3.  Can  we  believe  that  this  omiscient  and 
omnipotent  God,  knowing  her  to  be  innocent, 
pretended  that  he  thought  her  guilty  and 
carried  on  this  comedy  as  far  as  the  burning 
faggots,  watching  her  slowly  dying  in  in- 
describable torture,  when  his  divine  pre- 
science must  have  told  him  that  the  "  ordeal  " 
would  prove  utterly  useless  ;  for,  even  if  it  is 
true,  as  one  version  of  the  poem  asserts,  that 
another  Neo- Vishnu  appeared  at  the  pyre 
and  cried,  "Sita  is  innocent !"  we  know  that 
even  in  that  version  the  Vishnu  in  human 
form,  after  a  brief  reconciliation,  threw  her 
over  once  more,  and  sent  her  to  die  in  a 
forest  hermitage.  Another  strong  point 
upsets  the  Neo- Vishnu  theories  of  our  Pro- 
fessors. Brahma  figures  as  the  Supreme 
God  all  through  the  epic.      It  is  by  his  edict 

^  For   how   many   of  the    333,333   years   would   his 
marriage  vows  be  thought  to  extend  ? 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  253 

that  no  god  or  demon  can  slay  Ravana. 
From  him  also  comes  the  subtlety  that  this 
edict  does  not  include  a  purely  human  com- 
batant. If  he  had  not  been  judged  the 
Supreme  God  at  the  time,  all  the  gods  and 
all  mankind  would  have  laughed  at  both 
these  pronouncements.  Brahma  parents 
Sita  and  comes  down  to  give  her  the 
Amrita.  Brahma  urges  the  immortals  with 
their  consorts  to  parent  gods  and  demigods 
for  Rama's  great  army.  Let  us  ask  one 
more  question.  Suppose  that  Professor 
Weber's  account  is  true,  and  that  the  poem 
started  first  of  all  as  a  little  Buddhist  parable 
A.D.  400 — that  is,  700  years  after  Brahmanism 
had  been  deposed  in  India.  Let  us  suppose, 
further,  that  in  time  Neo-Vishnu  develop- 
ments were  added  by  Valmiki.  Why  was 
Brahma  seated  by  mistake  on  Neo- Vishnu's 
throne  ?     How  was  he  there  at  all  ? 


CHAPTER   XI 

A    PREGNANT     DISCOVERY 

Whilst  this  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
pubHsher  I  came  across  a  passage  in  the 
writings  of  Grant  Allen  which  I  consider  a 
pregnant  discovery.  If  his  idea  can  be 
established  as  proved  it  helps  me  very  much. 
In  fact  it  raises  completely  the  green  baize 
curtain  which  conceals  the  mysteries  of  Siva. 
The  idea  came  to  Mr.  Grant  Allen  when 
studying  an  account  of  the  spring  mysteries 
of  the  Parias  of  India.  This  was  given  by 
Sir.  G.  L.  Gomme  in  his  work  "  Ethnology 
in  Folklore."^  In  the  South  of  India  the 
Parias  hold  a  festival  called  the  *'  Potraj," 
after  the  Master  of  Worship  (Pujari),  who 
conducts  it.  In  a  field  belonging  to  the 
community  there  is  always  a  Lingam,  or 
1  "Ethology  in  Folklore,"  p.  22. 
254 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  255 

shapeless  stone.  For  the  ceremony  this  is 
now  smeared  with  vermilion.  It  is  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  the  goddess  of 
the  aborigines — namely,  Durga.  A  sacred 
buffalo,  which  has  roamed  about  loose,  like 
the  Jewish  scape-goat,  is  on  second  day 
thrown  down  and  decapitated  by  the  Potraj. 
It  is  placed  before  the  Lingam  with  one 
fore-leg  in  its  mouth.  By  it  is  an  immense 
heap  of  corn  and  grain,  also  holy  vessels, 
with  a  drill  plough  in  the  centre.  The 
carcase  is  then  cut  up,  and  each  cultivator 
receives  a  little  piece  to  bury  in  his  field. 
Blood  and  offal  is  then  collected  in  a  larore 
basket,  over  which  pots  of  cooked  food  have 
been  previously  broken.  Then  the  Potraj 
cuts  to  pieces  a  live  kid,  and  throws  them  in  ; 
and  a  low-caste  man  called  a  Mang  carries 
the  mixture  about  the  village,  sprinkling  it 
here  and  there  to  feed  the  spirits.-^  He  is 
followed  by  all  the  Parias. 

^  Colonel  Dalton  gives  the  ritual  of  the  Bhagats  :  "  O 
Mahadeo,  we  sacrifice  this  man  to  you  according  to 
ancient  customs.  Give  us  rain  in  due  season,  and  a 
plentiful  harvest." 


256  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

On  the  third  day  all  the  inhabitants 
**of  caste,"  who  have  vowed  animals  to 
the  goddess  for  the  welfare  of  their  families 
or  fields,  bring  their  buffaloes  or  sheep  to 
the  Pujari  for  slaughter.  The  fourth  day- 
is  appropriated  to  the  offerings  of  the  poor 
Parias.  Some  fifty  or  sixty  buffaloes  are 
decapitated,  and  several  hundred  sheep, 
and  the  heads  are  piled  up  in  two  huge 
heaps. 

"  Many  women  on  these  days  walked 
naked  to  the  temple  in  fulfilment  of  vows, 
but  they  were  covered  with  leaves  and 
boughs  of  trees,  and  surrounded  by  their 
female  relations  and  friends." 

On  the  fifth  and  last  day  the  whole 
community  marches  in  procession  to  the 
temple  ;  and  the  Potraj,  after  a  little 
buffoonery,  seizes,  and  stuns  with  a  whip 
which  he  carries,  a  lamb.  Then  the  Potraj 
himself  is  tied  up  with  his  hands  behind  his 
back,  and  all  folks  dance  round  him  with 
noisy  shouts.  He  then  imitates  an  animal 
and  seizes  the  lamb  in  the  neck  with  his 
teeth,  and  tears  the  life  out  of  it.     The  blood 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  257 

is  caught  on  a  dish,  and  he  plunges  his  head 
into  that  dish.  This  mess,  with  the  remains 
of  the  lamb,  is  buried  by  the  altar.  Then 
the  Potraj's  hands  are  untied,  and  he  is  chased 
from  the  place.  Then  the  heap  of  grain 
in  front  of  the  Monolith  is  divided  amongst 
the  cultivators,  to  be  buried  by  each  one  in 
his  field  with  the  bit  of  flesh.  After  this  a 
distribution  of  the  piled-up  heads  is  made  by 
the  musician  or  ''  Raniga,"  but  a  big  scramble 
takes  place  for  a  certain  number  of  them. 
Then  a  procession  with  music  follows  the 
head  of  the  buffalo,  which  is  carried  round  all 
the  domains  of  the  community. 

Now,  here  we  get  the  early  agriculture  of 
India.  As  Mr.  Grant  Allen  shows,  the  main 
idea  of  the  sowing  festival  is  that  a  beast  or 
a  man  shall  be  slaughtered  for  the  benefit  of 
the  community.  He  is  then  buried  in  the 
earth  with  bits  of  flesh  and  portions  of  edible 
grain  to  support  him  in  ghost-land.  By  this 
expedient,  plentifully  used  in  the  Potraj 
theatricals,  famine,  the  chief  dread  of  savage 
races,  may  be  staved  off. 

But  whilst  Mr.  Grant  i\llen  was  pondering 

17 


258  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

over  these  transactions  a  noteworthy  problem 
arose  in  his  mind.  How  did  the  early 
agriculturist  discover  that  the  seeds  of 
vegetables,  sown  in  the  earth,  will  come  up 
again,  and  in  quantities  much  increased. 
This  problem  might  not  have  been  much  of 
a  difficulty  in  days  when  folks  believed  in 
miracles  and  inspiration  ;  but  it  seemed  quite 
insoluble  in  a  Darwinian  universe  of  pure 
cause  and  effect.  We  of  course  know  well 
that  plants  grow  from  seeds.  "  The  seed," 
says  Mr.  Grant  Allen,  "  is  the  essential 
reproductive  part  of  the  vegetable  organism."  ^ 
Also  some  parts  of  a  vegetable  are  good 
to  eat  and  some  are  not,  and  it  is  the 
edible  parts  that  are  reproductive.  What 
could  possibly  have  induced  a  Paria  or  a 
Mang,  with  limited  brains,  to  bury  the  edible 
portion  and  expect  it  to  come  up  again. 

Then  came  the  happy  thought  of  Mr. 
Grant  Allen.  The  ancient  burial  of  the 
year-god  solved  the  difficulty.  The  year- 
god  was  in  the  ground  with  flesh  meat  and 
edible  vegetables  to  support  him.  Then  lo ! 
1  Grant  Allen,  "The  Evolution  of  the  Idea  of  God,"  p.  275. 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  259 

and  behold  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the 
edible  fruits  and  grains  of  the  village  multi- 
plied exceedingly.  This  it  was  believed  was 
the  work  of  the  benign  year-god.  Plainly  it 
was  his  buried  flesh  that  made  food  so  plenti- 
ful, certainly  not  the  grain.  This  was  the 
discovery  that  Mr.  Grant  Allen  made  :  and 
even  he  failed  to  see  all  that  it  carried  with  it. 

But  another  puzzle  must  first  be  considered. 
"  Sympathetic  magic,"  says  Mr.  Frazer, 
"simulates  the  proposed  effect."^  This  in 
India  is  called  the  ''  Dharna."  A  beggar, 
let  us  say,  is  angry  with  a  rich  man  who  has 
refused  him  help.  He  sits  at  the  rich  man's 
gate  and  refuses  to  eat,  and  the  pet  wife 
of  the  rich  man  begins  to  show  all  the 
symptoms  of  death  by  starvation.  The  poor 
man  has  effected  a  sort  of  transfer  of 
sickness. 

When  I  was  at  Penrhos,  in  Anglesey,  I 
was  shown  a  couple  of  frogs  that  had  been 
pierced  and  then  buried  with  the  name  of  the 
proposed  victim  written  on  a  piece  of  paper. 
Sympathetic  magic  is  an  imitation  of  some 
incident  that  the  magician  wills  to  be  real 
*  "  The  Golden  Bough,"  vol.  i.,  p.  10. 


26o  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

hereafter.     This  strange  belief  is  found   in 
all  lands. 

Now,  the  Indian  religion,  the  Jewish 
religion,  all  the  early  religions,  believed  that 
there  were  thousands  of  supernatural  beings 
always  working  diseases,  disasters  and 
famines  to  vex  and  starve  us,  and  that  the 
only  way  to  eke  out  a  bare  existence  was  to 
attack  them  with  counter-spells.  We  have 
seen  from  the  '*  Ramayana  "  how  the  Aryas 
attributed  all  their  calamities  to  the  magic  of 
Ravana  (or  Siva),  and  we  see  in  the  same 
tome  the  Apsarases,  or  nymphs,  of  Indra 
vexing  the  Yogis.  The  story  of  the  Sivan 
mystery,  the  story  of  the  Potraj,  discloses  an 
extensive  and  elaborate  attempt  to  meet  the 
spells  of  hostile  demons  with  a  vast  scheme  of 
sympathetic  magic.  The  Potraj  was  erecting 
a  powerful  monarchy  ;  the  Potraj  was  orga- 
nizing a  powerful  army  for  battle. 

Now,  here  comes  the  importance  of  Mr. 
Grant  Allen's  discovery.  Saivism  was  a  pan- 
theism with  special  intricacies.  Its  great 
mystery  is  made  to  fill  in  every  little  corner. 
It    is   elaborate  and    exhaustive,    but   all    is 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  261 

founded  on  a  pure  mistake.  In  India,  in 
Persia,  in  Greece,  wild  and  irrational  copies 
of  it  have  been  made  by  polytheisms  in  days 
when  folks  no  longer  believed  that  a  smiling 
cornfield  was  due  to  a  piece  of  a  dead 
buffalo.  But  see  how  important  this  is.  We 
get  the  elaborate  and  intricate  scheme  of 
Siva  based  upon  nothing  at  all.  Cicero 
blushes  and  is  shocked  at  the  S'ri  Ka  Chakra 
and  at  Soma  Natha.  In  the  Greek  mystery 
this  was  an  orgy,  but  the  earliest  Indian  had 
at  basis  deep  religious  feeling. 

And  now  for  the  question  of  animal  wor- 
ship. What  was  the  head  or  front  of  the 
P6traj  festival  ?  Plainly  an  animal,  the 
buffalo.  Its  head  is  buried  by  the  holy  pillar, 
called  by  every  Indian  a  "  Mahadeo,"  and 
Mahadeo  is  the  Indian  name  for  Siva.  In 
my  work,  "  India  in  Primitive  Christianity," 
I  show  the  importance  of  Siva's  head  ("Avalo- 
kitishvara,"  literally,  "  Siva  looking  down  "). 
It  crowns  almost  every  arch  in  a  Si  van 
temple,  and  figures  usually  without  a  jaw  ; 
and  it  looks  out  of  every  window  on  the  rock- 
detached  temples  of  Elora  and  Mahabalipur, 


262  rAma  and  homer 

which,  at  a  date  now  quite  irrecoverable,  were 
cut  out  of  rocky  hills  with  a  chisel  4  inches 
long.  In  Greece  this  formidable  spell  became 
feminine,  as  the  Gorgon  and  the  ^Egis,  her 
serpents  and  the  goat's-skin  betraying  the 
borrowing.  When  Buddhism  allied  itself  to 
the  religion  of  Siva,  Avalokitishvara  escorted 
the  head  of  the  Church  from  Buddha  Gaya  to 
Lhasa ;  and  the  other  day,  incarnate  in  a 
shivering  old  gentleman,  it  crossed  the  Indian 
frontier  and  called  itself  the  Dalai  Lama. 

Mr.  Frazer  shows  that  in  all  parts  of  the 
world  sexual  embraces  were  deemed  to  be 
an  important  item  in  promoting  the  powers 
of  vegetation.  The  Minnitarees  of  North 
America  called  their  spring  feast  the  "  corn- 
medicine  festival  of  the  women."  In  the  New 
Guinea  festival  "  Mr.  Sun  "  is  married  to  the 
earth  amid  a  vast  number  of  similar  espousals.-^ 
The  ancient  work,  the  ''Agriculture  of  the 
Nabatceans''  describes  the  process  in  ancient 
Babylon  in  a  very  literal  manner.  I  give  the 
Sri  Ka  Chakra  from  the  Devi  Rashya  in  my 
work,  *'  India  in  Primitive  Christianity,"  and 
^  Fraser,  "  The  Golden  Bough,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  203  et  seq. 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  263 

refer  the  reader  to  that.  But  in  favour  of  the 
Indian  festival  of  the  Dying  Year  some 
points  are  important '} 

1.  At  Easter  Siva  as  the  Year  dies,  but  in 
a  second  he  jumps  up  again  as  BaHshvara,  a 
baby  covered  with  white  powder,  the  ashes  of 
thousands  of  dead  ages,  and  BaHshvara  is  a 
potent  giant  an  hour  or  two  afterwards. 

2.  We  must  remember  that  in  Saivism 
everybody  is  a  sort  of  incarnation  of  Siva, 
and  all  produce  in  Siva's  scheme  is  by  the 
union  of  male  and  female, 

3.  In  the  ritual  of  the  S'ri  Ka  Chakra  the 
males  are  called  each  ''  Bhairavas  "  and  the 
females  '*  Bhairavis."  Bhairava  is  a  popular 
name  of  6iva. 

4.  Now,  this  spectacle  of  an  army  of  Sivas 
begotten  in  a  second  in  ghost-land  by  another 
army  of  Sivas  fits  into  Saivism,  but  into  no 
other  religion. 

5.  And  what  about  Soma  ?  Does  it  assist 
us  in  this  inquiry  ?  I  think  it  is  of  immense 
importance.  We  must  remember  that  its 
thrilling  excitations  were  only  deemed  purely 

1  "India  in  Primitive  Christianity,"  p.  237,  et  seq. 


264  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

divine  for  a  certain  length  of  time.  The 
Bhairava  at  the  6ivan  mysteries  believed 
himself  full  of  the  god  and  the  Bhairavi  had 
no  shame ;  in  its  stead  she  had  a  firm  belief 
that  she  was  pious  and  that  her  life  was 
useful.  One  sees  from  Matter  that,  even  at 
the  date  of  the  love-feasts  in  Alexandria, 
women  in  the  semi-Christian  sects  —  the 
Nicolaites,  the  Carpocrates,  the  Prodicians 
— imitated  the  Indian  "  brides  of  the  god," 
and  one  pious  matron,  with  the  significant 
name  of  Agape,  trained  a  following  of 
Agapetes.  The  Soma,  as  long  as  its  novel 
energy  was  deemed  divine,  created  a  genuine 
divine  enthusiasm.  It  gave  a  great  fillip  to 
the  followers  of  Soma  Natha,  and  it  boiled 
over  into  the  hymns  of  the  "  Rig  Veda  "  and 
the  "  Zend  Avesta."  But  when  it  reached 
Eleusis  other  intoxicants  had  been  dis- 
covered, such  as  the  grape  and  the  spirit 
distilled  from  the  Indian  palm.  This  is  a 
very  strong  fact  against  the  theory  of  Oxford 
Professors  that  the  Homeric  poems  and  the 
Eleusinian  mysteries  are  immensely  older 
than  Sankhya  philosophy. 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY         265 

Now,  some  writers  on  folklore  have  main- 
tained that  man  was  the  first  victim  of  agri- 
cultural burial,  and  that  the  slaughter  of 
animals  was  a  modified  version  of  it  ;  but 
Mr.  Frazer  shows  very  clearly  that  the  savage 
failed  to  detect  much  difference  between  the 
man  and  the  beast. 

The  distinction  between  the  natural  and 
supernatural  seems  almost  to  elude  the  dull 
intellect  of  some  savages,  and  even  the 
moderns  believe  that  man  can  take  an  animal 
form  at  will  and  a  beast  that  of  a  man.  To 
this  day  Moondahs  of  Chota  Nagpur  are 
believed,^  says  Mr.  Gomme,  to  change  them- 
selves into  tigers  and  to  devour  their  enemies. 
In  Kamschatka,  when  folks  killed  a  bear,  they 
worshipped  its  decapitated  head  with  prayers 
and  sweetmeats,  and  told  it  lies  as  to  who 
had  killed  it.  *'  Deities  of  vegetation,"  says 
Mr.  Frazer,  "  who  are  supposed  to  pass  a 
certain  portion  of  each  year  underground, 
naturally  come  to  be  regarded  as  gods  of  the 
lower  world  or  of  the  dead.  Both  Dionysus 
and  Osiris  were  so  conceived."  Mr.  Frazer 
^  Gomme,  "  Ethnology  in  Folklore,"  p.  47. 


266  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

points  out  that  at  Cyzicus  Dionysus  was  wor- 
shipped as  a  bull,  with  bull's  horns. 

What  is  specially  noticeable  in  the  Potraj 
story  ?  This,  that  the  Potraj  is  not  a  beast 
playing  the  part  of  a  man,  but  a  man  playing 
the  part  of  a  beast.  He  is  tied  firmly  up  ;  a 
victim,  a  kid,  is  placed  before  him  ;  he  gnaws 
it  as  a  savage  tiger  would  gnaw  it.  The 
blood  in  his  chaps  is  of  immense  value, 
apparently. 

And,  in  point  of  fact,  the  word  ''Potraj" 
is  loosely  applied.  It  bears  three  distinct 
meanings  : 

1.  Durga,  the  village  goddess,  is  called 
Potraj  in  Mr.  Gomme's  narrative. 

2.  The  Potraj  is  also  a  sort  of  beadle,  who 
keeps  order  in  the  ceremonies. 

3.  The  same  functionary  shams  being  tied 
up  and  slaughtered  as  a  wild  beast. 

Is  it  rash  to  conclude  that  in  early  days  the 
beadle  and  the  wild  beast  were  one  flesh  ? 

The  proceedings  terminated  with  a  Bac- 
chanalian scene  which  certainly  supports  Sir 
William  Jones  when  he  asserted  that  the 
story  of  Bacchus  comes  from  India. 


A  PREGNANT  DISCOVERY  267 

A  procession  with  drums  and  music  follows 
the  buffalo's  head  round  the  limits  of  the 
commune,  and  "  all  order  and  propriety  now 
ceased,"  says  Mr.  Gomme.  Dancing  women 
jumped  on  the  shoulders  of  the  most  respect- 
able and  gravest  citizens,  and  the  low-caste 
Parias  and  Asadis  attacked  them.  The 
Raniga,  or  chief  musician,  headed  the  hubbub 
and  abused  the  goddess,  the  Government, 
and  all  governing  powers.  This  is  im- 
mensely important.  The  year  in  the  Sivan 
mystery  figures  as  an  age  (or  "  Kalpa") 
of  ^iva  in  miniature,  and  this  means  a  cycle 
of  deterioration  until,  by  false  government 
and  bad  rulers  a  vast  change  becomes 
necessary.  Hence  the  mad  battling  and  the 
fierce  animosity  of  the  Raniga.  It  is  a 
revelation  in  sympathetic  magic  of  Siva  as 
the  Destroyer,  and  explains  for  the  first  time 
the  modern  Hoki  and  the  topsy-turvy  buffoon- 
eries of  the  old  Christian  carnival. 


CHAPTER  XII 

COLONEL    TOD 

One  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  old 
Orientalists,  Colonel  Tod,  believed  that  Siva 
as  Bala  and  the  Baal  of  the  Phoenicians  were 
the  same  god.  When  he  was  staying  at 
Saurashtra  he  noticed  the  name  on  many 
temples.  There  was  Balnath  (the  Lord 
Bal),  Mahabalipur  (the  city  of  the  great 
Bali  or  Bala),  etc  ,  and  the  plateau  of  Sah- 
yadri  Mountains  was  called  Mahabaleshwar 
(the  great  Ishwara,  Bala).  In  Egypt  he 
was  Bal,  or  Sit,  or  Typhon  ;  in  Babylon 
he  was  Bel  ;  and  in  Gaul  and  the  West, 
Belenus. 

"What,"  says  Colonel  Tod,  "are  Bal  and 
the  Brazen  Calf,   to  which   especial  honours 
were   paid   on  the   '  fifteenth  of   the  month,' 
268 


COLONEL  TOD  269 

but   the    Balshwar   and    the    bull    Nanda  of 
India  ?"^ 

Colonel  Tod  explains  that  the  Hindus 
divide  the  months  into  two  Pukhs,  or  fort- 
nights. At  the  beginning  of  the  Second 
Pukh,  called  the  Amava,  the  bull  Nanda  is 
worshipped  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month. 
Now,  we  learn  from  i  Kings  xii.  that  Jero- 
boam made  a  golden  calf  and  sacrified  to  it 
on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month  at  Bethel. 

More  recent  investigations  are  fully  con- 
firming Colonel  Tod ;  indeed,  the  subject  is 
brimming  over  in  popular  treatises.  Says 
Miss  Ragozin :  "  Thirty-five  years  ago  no 
one  would  have  thought  of  connecting  India 
(pre- Aryan  India)  with  archaic  Babylonia. 
.  .  .  In  the  ruins  of  Mugheir,  ancient  Ur  of  the 
Chaldees,  built  by  Ur  Ea  (or  Ur-Bagash) 
.  .  .  who  ruled  not  less  than  3,000  years  B.C., 
was  found  a  piece  of  Indian  teak.  This 
evidence  is  exceptionally  conclusive,  because, 
as  it  happens,  this  particular  tree  is  to  be 
located  with  more  than  ordinary  accuracy :  it 
grows  in  Southern  India  (Dekhan)  where 
*  "  Travels  in  Western  India,"  p.  54. 


270  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

it  advances  close  to  the  Malabar  coast,  and 
nowhere  else  ;  there  is  none  north  of  the 
Vindhya."  ^ 

The  same  work  mentions  also  that  the 
old  Babylonian  name  for  muslin  was  sindku 
and  sindhtL  is  the  early  name  of  India.  And 
here  is  another  passage  :  "  Professor  Max 
Mliller  has  long  ago  shown  that  the  names 
of  certain  rare  articles  which  King  Solomon's 
trading  ships  brought  him  were  not  originally 
Hebrew.  These  articles  are  sandal  -  wood 
(indigenous  on  the  Malabar  coast  and  no- 
where else),  ivory,  apes,  and  peacocks,  and 
their  native  names,  which  could  easily  be 
traced  through  the  Hebrew  corruptions,  have 
all  along  been  set  down  as  Sanskrit,  being 
common  words  of  that  language." 

But  this  is  not  the  end  of  it.  Dr.  Caldwell, 
in  his  "  Comparative  Grammar  of  the  Dravi- 
dian  Languages,"  points  out  that  these  words 
of  King  Solomon  are  at  root  Dravidian 
words,  and  that  Sanskrit  only  borrowed 
them. 

Another    Biblical    analogy    has    received 
1  Ragozin,  "  Vedic  India,''  p.  306. 


COLONEL  TOD  271 

attention  :  "  But  ye  have  borne  the  taber- 
nacle of  your  Moloch,  your  Chiun,  your 
images,  the  star  of  your  god  which  ye  made 
to  yourselves  "  (Amos  v.  26). 

The  word  "  Siva "  varies  in  different 
parts  of  India.  He  is  "Shiva,"  *' Shivin," 
"  Chivin."  The  French  always  call  him 
"  Chivin."  Scholars  saw  at  once  that  the 
Chiun  was  Siva.  His  ''tabernacle"  is  the 
pavilion  -  carriage  of  Siva;  his  "star," 
the  six-rayed  star  of  Siva,  made  up  of  the 
two  equilateral  triangles,  Siva's  own,  and 
the  same  upside-down  for  Durga.  And  Dr. 
Vincent,  formerly  headmaster  at  West- 
minster School,  in  giving  a  translation  of 
the  "  Periplus,"  a  valuable  little  commercial 
work  written  about  the  time  of  the  Christian 
era,  opines  that  Thebes,  Memphis,  Tyre 
became  each  in  turn  leading  city  of  the  world 
through  Indian  commerce. 

Another  question  remains.  If  you  were 
to  meet  these  two  personages  in  a  street — a 
street  outside  the  purlieus  of  Oxford — you 
might  think  that  they  bore  some  relationship 
the  one  to  the  other.     Oxford  Professors  will 


272  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

not  allow  this.  One  is  the  bizarre  idea  of 
Karttikeya,  the  God  of  War.  He  is  Siva's 
son,  and  with  Siva's  loose  pantheistic  per- 
sonifications, in  one  sense  Siva  himself.  The 
other  is  the  bizarre  idea  of  Ravana.  Valmiki 
twice  explains  the  historical  basis  of  his 
poem.  Bali  overthrew  Indra  and  Rama  over- 
threw Bali.  Now,  Colonel  Tod  has  shown 
that  Sivan  temples  in  Madras  are  called  after 
Bali.  The  hell  Sutata  is  ruled  by  Bali.  And 
it  is  declared  in  the  poem,  when  Hanuman 
first  reached  the  straits,  that  Lanka  is 
Patala,  or  hell,  and  that  the  mountain 
Mainaka,  a  submarine  hill,  was  brought 
there  by  Indra  to  ''shut  the  gate  of  hell  on 
those  potent  demons  who  without  it  would 
escape  from  their  prisons."  ^ 

And  the  little  episode  of  Bali  and  Sugriva 
is  the  '*  Ramayana"  in  miniature.  Bali  up- 
sets Sugriva,  and  is  then  shot  by  Rama, 
the  wife  being  Mandodari,  without  any 
disguise. 

Then  Siva  has  a  son,  Ganesa,  with  an 
elephant's  head,  and  Indrajit,  Ravana's 
1  "  Sundara  Kanda,"  VII.,  8. 


COLONEL  TOD  273 

favourite  son,  has  also  an  elephant's  head. 
"  He  who  brandishes  a  bow  similar  to  that 
of  Indra,  and  who  betrays  In  his  mouth  two 
appalling  tusks,  like  those  of  an  elephant, 
tliat  Is  Indrajit  the  son  of  the  monarch  of  the 
Rakshasd^s."  ^  When  he  dies,  his  wives  com- 
plain like  elephants,  and  Ravana  himself,  when 
killed,  lies  like  a  dead  elephant  on  the  battle- 
field. But  Indrajit  has  two  aspects  ;  he  Is 
also  the  leading  fighter  of  the  Rakshasas. 
This  connects  him  with  another  son  of  Siva, 
Kdrttikeya,  the  Indian  Mars. 

Then  Ravana  has  the  same  Counsellor  as 
Siva,  named  Nandi.*  He  wanders  about 
with  his  wife  Mandodari  In  Kallas,  Siva's 
paradise.  Night  comes  when  he  appears. 
He  Is  called  "  the  cruel  demon  of  night." 
When  he  becomes  angered  he  Is  described 
as  like  "  oiva  in  a  rage  ";  and  from  his  wide 
mouth  issue  flames  and  smoke. 

A  final  question  is  this  :  Did  I  give  the 
real  termination  of  the  epic  in  my  little 
sketch  ?     I    think   I   did.     ValmikI  had  pre- 


1  "Ayodhya  Kanda,"  XXXV.,  9. 

2  mw.,  XXXVIL,  8. 


18 


274  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

pared  us  for  it  already  ;  when  Rama  makes 
his  lament  over  Lakhsmana's  supposed  death 
he  goes  out  of  his  way  to  run  down  Sita. 
From  that  point  all  works  to  a  lugubrious 
ending.  Her  refusal  to  let  Hanuman  carry 
her  home  is  for  that  reason  inserted. 
And  confirmation  of  this  comes  from  a 
seventh  book,  the  "  Uttura  Kanda,"  a  book 
known  to  be  a  comparatively  modern  addition. 
That  book  affirms  that  after  a  mighty  form 
seen  in  the  fire  had  announced  Sita's  in- 
nocence, she  came  to  life  again,  and  she  and 
Rama  lived  happily  together  for  a  time  ;  but 
evil  tongues  once  more  poisoned  Rama's 
mind,  and  he  banished  his  wife  to  Valmiki's 
hermitage.  There  she  produced  twins — 
Kusa  and  Lava.  These  by-and-by  grew 
up,  and  went  abroad  reciting  Valmiki's  great 
poem.  This  brings  Rama  once  more  to  his 
wife's  side,  to  see  her  die. 

Plainly  a  bad  ending  was  as  unpopular  in 
those  days  as  it  is  now,  for  another  attempt 
at  exculpation  was  made,  with  a  theory  that 
a  phantom  Sita  alone  was  a  prisoner  with 
Ravana. 


COLONEL  TOD  275 

A  similar  story  was  in  Greece.  Two 
plays  of  Euripides — the  "Electra"  and  the 
"  Helena  " — affirm  that  Helen  never  was  in 
Troy  ;  but  that  a  cloud,  or  phantom,  was 
substituted  for  her.  It  was  asserted  that  she 
was  on  the  territory  of  Proteus,  King  of 
Egypt,  all  through  the  Trojan  War.  The 
Homer  of  the  ''  Odyssey"  must  have  heard 
of  the  story,  for  he  makes  Helen  reside  for 
eight  years  in  the  Court  of  King  Proteus. 

The  question  can  only  be  settled  by  a 
study  of  Valmiki  himself.  Plainly  these  new 
endings  destroy  all  his  pathos,  all  his  subtle 
construction  ;  and  they  quite  militate  against 
the  teachings  of  the  higher  Indian  mysticism. 

A  word  upon  that  :  Monsieur  Schure  holds 
that  the  story  of  Sita  and  the  story  of 
Proserpine  are  the  same.  Both  were  carried 
to  hell  by  the  Lord  of  hell,  and  both  rescued, 
for  their  stories  taught  the  same  truth,  the 
descent  of  a  soul  into  matter — a  pagan  "  fall  " 
and  a  pagan  "  redemption,"  as  Monsieur 
Schure  puts  it. 

But  are  the  stories  the  same  ?  Proserpine 
is  a  goddess.     She  is  never  in  the  earth-life 


276  RAMA  and  homer 

at  all.  And  she  has  no  "  redemption "  or 
escapes.  She  remains  the  most  wicked 
fiendess  in  the  world  for  six  months  every 
year.  She  is  at  once  Durga  as  K^li,  and 
also  Ceres  (Sanskrit  ''S'ri").  And  if  this 
earth  is  deemed  hell,  Sita  coming  back  would 
have  to  go  to  Lanka  once  more. 


GLOSSARY  AND  INDEX 


Achilles.     Sketch  of  his  story,  23  ;  at  first  an  attempt  of 

some  Demodocus  to  throw  a  new  interest  on  the  Trojan 

War  by  a  brief,  bold,  and  briHiant  recital,  which  may 

have  been  called  the  Siege  of  Thebe,  35. 
Agamemnon,  Commander-in-Chief,  27.  Always  successful  in 

story  of  Menelaus  ;  always  defeated  in  story  of  Achilles  ; 

was  Commander-in-Chief  when  Achilles  ordered  a  truce 

of  twelve  days,  25. 
iEGiS,  the  same  in  India  and  in  Greece,  262. 
Ahi,  Siva  as  a  serpent  in  the  "  Rig  Veda,"  200. 
Amrita,  the  immortal  food,  131. 
Antelope,   ushers    in    the  most  pathetic  story  of  Greece 

and  of  India,  104. 
Apsaras,  nymphs  of  Indra,  118. 
Arani,  fire-drill,  206. 
Arrov^.     See  Philoctetes,  17. 

Avalokitishwara,  head  of  Siva,  used  as  a  spell,  261. 
Axes.     See  helm-hole,  51. 
Ayodhya,  Oudh,  4. 

Bala,  Siva,  according  to  Tod,  268. 
BALt,  also  the  ape-king,  237. 

Bhairava,  Bharata,  Siva  in  the  left-handed  rites,  223. 
Bharata,  Rama  s  brother,  75,  97. 

Blockade,  rather  than  battle,  for  the  first  nine  years  at 
Troy,  according  to  Sir  Richard  Jebb,  24. 
277 


278  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Brahma  presides  all  through  the  "  Ramayana  " — a  com- 
plete proof  that  the  original  knew  no  new  Vishnu 
theories,  252. 

Brahmas'iras.     See  Philoctetes,  17. 

Butler,  author  of  "  Erewhon "  on  the  Massacre  of  the 
Suitors,  47. 

Car  Pushpaka,  Ravana's  car,  104. 

Central  Idea  of  the  story  of  Achilles  to  make  a  hero  so 
formidable  that  even  his  armour  and  helmet  may  put 
to  flight  an  army  of  50,000  men,  19. 

Chitra  KtJTA,  Sita's  first  halt  in  the  forest,  visited  now  by 
2,000,000  pilgrims  yearly,  113. 

Chryses,  priest  of  the  Temple  of  Apollo,  32. 

Chryseis,  his  daughter,  also  Queen  Astynome,  32. 

COLEBROOKE,  prominent  early  Orientalist,  188  ;  his  works 
specially  valuable  now  ;  proves  an  early  connection 
between  Indra  and  Greece  from  the  transit  of  the  San- 
khya  or  "  Numerals  "  philosophy  to  a  similar  system 
attributed  to  Pythagoras,  222  ;  shows  that  the  "  Life  of 
Buddha"  ("  Lalita  Vistara")  is  a  copy  of  the  "Rama- 
yana," 188,  which  upsets  Weber's  idea  that  the  epic  was 
first  a  small  Buddhist  parable. 

Dais^daka  Wood,  vast  forest  in  ancient  India,  where  the 
exiles  first  meet  the  followers  of  Ravana,  98. 

Dasaratha,  father  of  Rama,  54.  Parallel  between  him  and 
Jupiter  as  the  father  of  Hercules,  84. 

"Dasaratha  Jataka,"  short  life  of  Buddha  written  in  the 
fourth  century,  A.D.  ;  claimed  by  Professor  Weber  as  the 
original  version  of  the  "Ramayana,"  184. 

"  Death  of  the  Suitors,"  a  known  early  version  of  the 
"  Odyssey,"  49. 

Deidamia,  queen  seduced  by  Achilles  ;  mother  of  Neop- 
tolemus,  30. 


GLOSSARY  AND  INDEX  279 

Dion  Chrysostomos  asserts  that  the  (ireek  soldiers  of 
Alexander  heard  the  Homeric  poems  sung  in  Indian 
bazaars,  174,  177. 

DURGA,  wife  of  Siva  ;  as  the  pestilential  tree  of  the  Indian 
jungle  an  early  personification  of  disease  and  death,  198. 

Eleusis,  264.     See  Potraj,  254. 

Four  Gods  alone  worshipped  in  India  at  the  date  of  Cole- 
brooke,  three  being  Sivan,  therefore  still  retaining  the 
idea  that  the  world  goes  on  through  literal  animal 
unions,  233. 

Gandhamadana,  mountain  brought  back  bodily  by  Hanu- 

man  for  the  simples  to  cure  Lakhsmana,  151. 
Gem-cutting,  very  ancient  in  early  India,  89. 
Greek  Soldiers.     See  Chapter^VII.,  177. 
Grant-Allen,  happy  guess  of,  254. 

Hanuman,  the  most  popular  god  at  festivals,  always  a 
monkey,  but  always  a  giant  divinity  of  vast  powers, 
115-116. 

Heavenly  Host  watching  all  the  battles,  suggested  by  the 
immense  crowds  of  animals  in  ancient  India,  attracted 
by  the  carnage,  160.     Each  animal  was  deemed  a  god, 

233- 
Helen  innocent  ;  deemed  to  have  lived  before  morality  was 

invented,  by  Professor  Jacobi,  182. 
Helve-holes,  blunders  connected  with  the  shot  of  Ulysses 

through  the  helve-holes  of  the  axes,  51. 
Heraldry.     Some  professors  believe  that  animal  gods  and 

animal   worship  at  the  date  of  the  "Ramayana"  had 

lapsed  into  mere  heraldry,  233. 
Hercules.     Very  early  idea  of  him  in  India.     Much  of  his 

life  drawn  from  the  "  Ramayana,"  86,  88,  122. 
Hesiod.     Analogies  between   incidents   described   by  him 

and  some  in  the  Indian  epics,  63,  123,  218. 


28o  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Hesione.  Her  adventures  highly  important.  The  treat- 
ment of  her  by  Hercules  brings  on  the  Trojan  War,  as 
the  treatment  of  Sita  brings  on  the  Siege  of  Lanka,  102. 

Indrajit.  Conqueror  of  Indra  :  his  prowess,  154;  his  death, 

157;  his  father's  lament,  137. 
Innocence  of  Helen.     See  Helen,  182. 

Jacobi,  Professor,  chief  authority  against  the  prior  claims  of 
the  story  of  Rama ;  can  see  no  analogy  between  the 
story  of  Rama  and  Homeric  poems,  except  that  each 
hero  shot  with  a  bow,  179  ;  urges  the  innocence  of 
Helen,  182. 

Jebb,  Sir  Richard  :  his  analysis  of  the  Trojan  War,  23. 

Kaikevi,  wife  of  Dasaratha  ;  cause  of  all  Rama's  mis- 
fortunes, 75. 

Kal!,  invocation  to,  100. 

Kere(^ani,  Siva  as  the  Soma-god  of  the  "Zend-Avesta,"  193. 

Khara,  brother  of  Ravana.  He  comes  with  a  vast  army 
against  Rama  in  the  Dandaka  forest,  and  is  killed,  loi. 

Krishanu,  Indian  name  of  Keregani,  193. 

Kumbhakarna,  monstrous  brother  of  Ravana,  who  takes  a 
meal  only  once  in  six  months,  152  ;  in  animal  worship 
a  boa-constrictor,  152. 

Kusha-Grass,  the  kuss-kuss  of  modern  India.  Superstition 
that  the  gods  love  to  come  down  and  sit  upon  it 
accepted  from  India  by  both  branches  of  the  Aryas,  206. 

Lang,  Andrew.  Strong  protest  against  the  theories  of  Max 
Miiller  that  the  hymns  of  the  "Rig  Veda"  are  of  great 
antiquity,  208. 

Matali,  the  famed  charioteer  of  Indra,  11,  lent  to  Rama  with 
the  immortal  steeds,  as  Automedon  was  lent  to  Achilles 
with  the  car  and  steeds  of  Jupiter,  13. 


GLOSSARY  AND  INDEX  281 

Max  MiJLLEK,  an  able  writer  astride  of  a  false  theorj'  that 
a  lofty  monotheism  came  to  India  with  the  opportunist 
polytheisms  of  the  "  Fig  Veda,"  207,  and  that  the  secret 
assaults  of  the  Pantheism  of  Siva  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  change  ;  transfers  the  rise  of  Saivism  to  an 
absurdly  later  date  to  give  the  credit  of  the  knowledge 
of  agriculture,  198,  and  of  the  juice  of  the  intoxicant  to 
the  singers  of  the  \'edic  hymns,  215. 

Menelaus,  plainly  the  Rama  of  the  Greek  forces.  The 
heroes  crowd  round  to  dissuade  him  when  he  wants  to 
accept  Hector's  challenge,  2,  forgetting  that  he  has 
beaten  them  all,  mcluding  Achilles,  at  the  jousts  for 
Helen,  5.  Brought  on  the  scene  in  the  "  Odyssey"  to 
certify   that  Ulysses  was  the  great  hero   of  the   war, 

42-43- 

MONlER-WiLLiAMS,  Sir  M.,  Professor  of  Sanskrit.  Points 
and  analogies  between  the  two  stories,  175. 

Monkeys,  with  their  King,  Sugriva,  join  Rama's  expedi- 
tion, 1 1 1. 

NaGAS,  serpents,  also  elephants,  234  ;  early  races  of  Ceylon, 
followers  of  Siva—  perhaps  his  earliest  followers. 

Neoptolemus,  hero  in  the  "Odyssey,"  44,  son  of  Achilles  ; 
brought  in,  perhaps,  to  push  out  the  heroic  father,  30. 

Neo- Vishnu  sect,  the  religion  of  the  Avataras,  250  ;  com- 
paratively modern  ;  claim  the  most  illustrious  of  the 
sages  each  as  their  Vishnu  incarnate  ;  Vishnu  himself  a 
sort  of  Siva,  who  with  his  wife  creates  and  renews  the 
world's  pantheism  without  Bhairava. 

Ordeal  by  Fire  demanded  by  Sita,  171. 

Paris,  the  ravisher  of  Helen,  whom  all  the  Greek  chiefs,  ner 
suitors,  have  sworn  to  kill,  25,  28.  He  has  been  pushed 
from  his  pedestal  and  made  a  coward  and  a  fop,  17,  20 ; 
in    consequence,   none    of    the    suitors,    with    perhaps 


282  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

the  exception  of  Menelaus,  are  attempting  to  fulfil  their 
vow  all  through  the  epic  narratives. 

Philoctetes,  arrow  of,  a  terrible  missile  that  alone  can  end 
the  war,  plainly  the  Brahmasiras  of  India,  a  similar 
weapon  ;  pushed  aside  to  make  way  for  Achilles  ;  traces 
of  it  all  through  the  Homeric  poems,  i6,  17. 

Pilgrims.     Two  millions  go  yearly  to  Chitra  Kiita,  113. 

Pope,  Dr.,  chief  authority  for  religions  of  Southern  India  ; 
holds  Saivism  to  be  the  earliest  Indian  religion,  196. 

Portents  announcing  the  death  of  Ravana,  158. 

P6traj festival,  Sivan  mystery  in  the  open  air,  254.  Grant- 
Allen  made  a  happy  guess  that  the  Indians,  quite  unable 
to  discover  the  real  cause  of  vegetable  increase,  attri- 
buted it  to  a  beneficent  corn  god  killed  yearly  for  that 
purpose,  255.  Effect  of  this  on  the  Sivan  mystery — rude 
— or  in  the  Temple,  261,  264. 

Rakshasas,  demons,  127. 

Rama.  Mighty  career  arranged  before  his  birth  ;  horse 
sacrifice,  64.  Queen  Kausalya ;  birth.  Great  friend- 
ship for  Lakhsmana,  65  ;  education,  65  ;  jousts ;  bends 
bow  of  Siva  and  wins  Sita,  71.  Foul  intrigues  of  Queen 
Kaikeyi,  75.  Rama  banished  to  the  forest  for  fourteen 
years.  Goes  off  with  Sita,  82.  Surpanakha  tempts  him, 
99.  Brings  up  her  brother  Ravana,  103.  Rape  of  Sita, 
106.  Brothers,  with  King  of  the  Monkeys,  pursue,  iii. 
Bridge  of  Rama,  124.  Prowess  of  Indrajit,  137.  Brothers 
believed  to  be  killed,  139.  Lament  of  Sita,  140.  Death 
of  Indrajit  and  Ravana,  1 57.  Strange  conduct  of  Rama, 
164.     Ordeal  by  fire,  171. 

Rama's  Bridge,  probably  a  point  of  pilgrimage  before  Rama. 
Strange  old  pyramid  there  belongs  to  Dravidian 
Saivism,  124. 

Rama's  Lament.  Very  pathetic;  already  suggests  an 
unhappy  ending  to  the  poem,  143. 

Ravana,  chief  of  the  armies  of  Lanka.     Bad  harvests  in 


GLOSSARY  AND  INDEX  283 

Upper  India  and   the  prurient  dreams  of  ascetics  all 

attributed  to  him,  55. 
Ravisher  of  Helen.     All  her  suitors  bound  by  oath  to  slay 

him,  25. 
Right  and  Wrong,  Rama  and  Hercules  both  called  upon 

to  make  a  choice  between  them,  disguised  as  women, 

99,  100. 

Sc.^AN  Gate,  6. 

SiNDHU,  Babylonish  name  for  muslin,  also  early  name  for 

India,  270. 
Sirens,  points  of  analogy  between,  and  the  "  Cave  of  the 

Seven  Apsaras,"  119. 
SiTA.     Born  of  a  swan  in  a  furrow  (Sita),  66.   Jousts  won  by 

Rama,  71.     Nobly  follows  him  in  his  banishment,  84. 

Carried  off  by  Ravana,  105  ;  tortured  by  fiendesses,  127  ; 

rescued,  163.     Strange  conduct  of  Rama,  164.     Ordeal 

by  fire,  171. 
SfTA's  Fruits  still  plucked  at  Chitra  Kiita,  92. 
SOMNATH,  the  principal  of  the  twelve  great  Sivan  temples 

dedicated  to  Siva  for  his  gift  of  the  Soma  to  the  world. 

192. 
SUGRIVA,  the  King  of  the  Monkeys,  116. 
Sl^RPANAKHA,  Ravana's  sister  ;  excites  him  against  Rama  ; 

is  angry  at  his  insult  of  her  charms,  98,  99. 

Tadaka,  cannibal  witch  like  Scylla,  46. 

Teak  (Indian)  found  in  ruins  of  Mugheir  built  by  Ur  Ea 

not  later  than  3,000  B.C.,  269. 
Three  Spirits  of  Sivan  mystical  rites  :  (i)   Pantheism  ; 

(2)  agriculture  ;  (3)  the  earliest  intoxicant,  214. 
Tod,  Colonel,  on  the  great  early  spread  of  Saivism,  268. 
Truce  of  twelve  days  proclaimed  by  Achilles  ;  would  have 

occasioned  inextricable  confusion  ;  an  impossible  story, 


Us'rava,  the  father  of  Ravana,  140. 


284  RAMA  AND  HOMER 

Vanars,  monkeys,  the    first    prominent  name  for   Rama's 

army,  61. 
Vendidad,  laws  against   the  Devas,    or  Siva's   followers  ; 

alternate  title  of  the  "  Zend-Avesta,"  203. 
ViBHiSHANA,  brother  of  Ravana,  who  goes  over  to  Rama, 

helps  materially,  142  ;  becomes  eventually  monarch  of 

Larika,  160. 

Weber,    a    prominent    assailant    of  the   antiquity   of  the 
"  Ramayana,"  177,  241. 

YiMA,  Rama  as  conceived  by  the  Persian  Aryans. 


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